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Sunday, June 23, 2013

Silver liningness Sunday

Not to harp on fire season, but I was glad to learn last night that the fire near my parents is now 10% contained.  Anything is better than zero.

East Peak Fire
Source

Really, it does seem that Colorado has two seasons:  Winter and Fire.  The fact that we've had two destructive fires near us in a year's time is not indicative of a necessarily bad row.  Colorado burns every summer, it's just a little "better" when it happens in the boonies.

That said, the smoke is not so bad this morning.  We're advised to "limit time outdoors, close the windows, and use the air conditioner".  Well... our open windows ARE our air conditioner.

Nighttime temperatures usually get into the 50's.  We open up all the windows, run the swamp cooler, and the house is pretty comfy.  Then in the morning, near sunrise, we scramble around closing and boarding up the windows to keep out the evil passive solar.  It's quite a fun challenge to time the closing of windows and blinds for optimum temperature control.  Each window is different.  I imagine it's something like successfully baking a souffle'.  Only trickier.

And all of this forced house arrest has meant that I've gotten pretty caught up on the housewifery.  The house is "clean" enough for an insurance video, but tidiness is a fleeting thing around here.  Some areas are just NOT going to make the video...

In other silver liningness, I've already mentioned that I've got both bicycles back home.  And they are running like well-oiled, prettily tired machines.

Wolfgang went to see Man of Steel.  He and his friends - all comic book movie aficionados - totally panned it, so I know not to waste my time.  Not that I had much desire to see it anyways, but now I have a good excuse if someone tries to get me to go.

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8 comments:

terri said...

Glad to hear that the fire near your parents is coming under control. Sure wish I could send them some of our rain. We have a rainy forecast through Thursday!

I'm so relieved to hear that others struggle with maintaining tidiness. I swear, when I clean any area of the house, it's as if a signal is sent out to the family members, calling them to use and mess up the areas I just cleaned!

Good to know that Man of Steel isn't worth the money or time. I was conflicted about seeing one that doesn't feature Christopher Reeves.

Anonymous said...

Once again, I wish we could share our rain with you. We are getting SO much, and it comes down in torrential downpours flooding the roads and fields. It would put your fires out in a heartbeat. If only....
It's nice to hear your parents aren't in immediate danger. I'm just sorry those fires have wreaked havoc with your air conditioning "unit".

LL Cool Joe said...

I too wish you could have some of our rain. I'm glad the fires are kinda under control near your parents house anyway. I assume breathing in the smokey air isn't great for you. Do you have to wear masks and use inhalers?

Abby said...

It's strange to be reading news headlines about all this rain that everyone ELSE is dealing with. And there is a sort of "magnet" quality to a tidy spot in the house. What is up with that??

Abby said...

We haven't had a good torrential downpour in a while. Bring it on! In the meantime, we'll just deal with our smelly A/C. No way I can keep the windows closed, I'd rather die of brown lung, or whatever.

Abby said...

I've only seen a few elderly people wearing masks. The smoke comes and goes, seems most heavy in the evenings and early mornings. Then the winds come and clear it out before fanning another fire.

meleah rebeccah said...

I am happy to hear the fire near your parents is semi-contained. Wild fires like that scare the crap out of me.

I could never live without air conditioning. It gets so muggy and so humid here in NJ, I would literally suffocate to death. We keep ours running 24/7 and set the temps for a crisp 67 degrees.

Keeping the house tidy is fairly impossible, I swear, I clean my kitchen five times a day - and there's ALWAYS more to be done. It's never ending.

I am with you - I have no desire to see the movie Man Of Steel either.

Linda Hensley said...

Drat! I wish I would've thought of gargoyles for "Surveillance". That's perfect. Good job! I have nothing to say about housekeeping. I'm pretty sure there are some people who do that kind of thing, but somehow I always find something else I'd rather do. Wishing the best for your parents and others in fire season!