Fire!

For the last 24 hours
fire has raged through the hills east of San Diego,
and they are already calling this the
worst fire in San Diego history.
A quarter of a million people
have evacuated.

Now the smoke in the air is thick,
and ash is accumulating on the balcony.

Solana Beach, the town just north of here,
has told selected residents to prepare to evacuate.

Winds are strong and gusting,
blowing the fire this way,
and the forecast conditions are more of the same
for at least another day, maybe two.

All my windows are closed,
but still the air inside is bad enough
to irritate my eyes.
Light smoke is coming in under the front door,
so I blocked the space with a towel,
and that seemed to help.

I have a couple of breathing masks,
and gave one to my next door neighbor,
a 90+ year old saint of a woman,
who has trouble breathing,
and she will be my personal responsibility
to help her get to safety
if things get to that point.

I've taken a video of all my stuff
inside Mikie's Fun House,
for insurance purposes,
just in case.

And I have bags packed with essentials,
ready to evacuate if/when the call comes.

My children are safe.

We are lucky.
Many have lost their homes,
and worse.