It's That Time of Year

First, summer was too mild. Then, in the past week, the mercury shot up over 100. Okay, no problem. Typical for this time of year.

What ISN'T typical is the start of the wildfire season, which is a wee bit too early for my tastes. Luckily I live near neither brush nor foothills, so the flat land here close to the coast is not a breeding ground for this destructive force.

It's only August, but there's several fires burning in the Southland already. Usually Mother Nature unleashes her fiery wrath in Oct./Nov. when conditions are especially dry because of the Santa Anas. Not so this year, I guess. What will the conflagrations be like when those months actually roll around?

The fires last year were particularly bad near the college where I teach; there were three simultaneous fires, dubbed the "Triangle" or "Freeway Complex" Fires. Other parts of the state were under siege at that time as well, and the sky was obscured for about 3-4 days as ash and smoke billowed just 14 miles from my home.

Have you ever seen a sunrise/sunset during one of these wildfire seasons? That would be the only benefit to the all rage and destruction...they're both equally gorgeous as the sun is a blood-red chariot sinking into or popping up from the horizon.