Tuesday’s Tidbits, With Coffee! #23

Good morning everyone! It is cloudy and cooler this morning, though it is supposed to warm up with more possible thunderstorms coming our way all week. It seems there is a weather system that has stalled which is keeping us above normal for temperatures, and also giving us the threat of thunderstorms. Those storms bring lightning and that causes forest fires.

There are forest fires right across the country right now and many are very serious and large in size. Right now all the fire fighting personnel and equipment in Canada is being used. And we are now getting help from the US, South Africa and New Zealand. We do not have anything real serious yet in our area, though there are 48 fires burning presently.

This is Grover, the Grackle.

Our two largest fires are about 23,000 acres (9,285 hectares) and 31,486 acres (12,742 hectares) in size. There are none close to where I live, yet. But that could change, and living in a forested area like this, one should always be prepared. That means keeping some things packed that can be grabbed quickly and out the door you go.

This is Baxter, the Blue Jay, looking a bit thin these days.

Some people have been given just 10 minutes notice to evacuate due to forest fires, just this year. That is not enough time to pack anything. That is why I like to keep some things packed during the summer months. I learned that from the first time my family had to evacuate due to a forest fire. The fire had moved 5 miles (8km) in one hour, and that made it just 5 miles (8km) away from where we lived.

So, it could reach us in just one hour, if it kept going at that speed. We had some time to pack up and leave, but it is amazing how quickly time goes by in such a situation. So, it is best to keep some important things packed so one can leave quickly with those important items. Forest fires, commonly called wildfires now, can move very fast, so it makes sense to me to be prepared.

And here he is again.

Some people think I am crazy for doing that, but that is okay. Muffin is enjoying the cooler weather this morning. She and I had a great playtime, she was running around here, jumping and rolling all over. Now she is sleeping on the bed with a nice cool breeze blowing on her. Well, time to do a bit of cleaning I guess. I hope you all have a most wonderful day and God bless!

Steve and Muffin.

©2023 Steve McLeod.