The Sound Of Sirens

The risk of fires rose yesterday and today.  Humidity levels dropped into the teens and the south winds off the mountains of Mexico heated us up to over 102 degrees.  And its Fall or so its suppose to be.

All afternoon, we have heard sirens and firetrucks moving and responding to hot spot flare ups.  Helicopters moved into the area dropping water on some of the same locations that were already decimated by the wildfire of Labor Day weekend.

At one point today, resources were already beginning to strain as the amount of calls coming in reporting small fires grew. 

We see no smoke in the sky and while that is comforting, the fact that the land is still dry and primed for any spark that may come its way, is not.  The risk remains very high and that doesn't seem to end.

A cold front will blow in this evening, winds will pick and and shift.  There is no doubt that as long as we have no rain, we had better get used to the smell of smoke and the sound of sirens.

And here I was just getting used to clouds in the sky again.

Saturday Comes To Life

The morning started slowly this Saturday, the first Saturday after the fire.  I made my way to the grocery store where I found it eerily void of the masses that usually shop on Saturday mornings.  The aisles were mostly empty, there were no bottlenecks on the bread aisle, no waiting on a break in the line of people with baskets moving in and out of each aisle.  I was in and out of the store in record time.  I've not known that before.

We headed up to the Producers Market on highways with less cars.  I was the only person in the market.  I visited with the lovely man that operates the building.  We talked fire and community and change.

After lunch, a tour of the downtown area revealed life I've not seen in My Town for nearly a week.  I saw vast donation areas, filled with all kinds of things, from food to clothing to furniture.  Everyone is giving and that is because everyone is in need.  The warm temperatures detoured not a soul.  People were out there, under tents, handing out water, making food, helping with insurance claims and just listening as people talked.

And I saw people. Lots and lots of people.  My Town was packed. I saw people from other towns here volunteering their time and resources.  An outpouring of affection for a town and its people. 

Today has renewed my spirit and allowed me to see that we will be OK.  From Mary's email this morning telling me thoughts about rebuilding her house, to the distribution centers filled with cars and people.  There is life after the fire.  Its different but considering how we feel about each other now, in many ways it will be better.

As long as the fires stay away, we can move forward.  Forward and beyond three days we would just as soon forget.