Nature, News, Stories, The Future, Weather

Waiting For The Smoke To Clear

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The header photo was taken September 12, mid afternoon,  in New Town, ND. The site is the Four Bears bridge over the Missouri River, and the haze is smoke from Montana and Canadian forest fires.  It has been a long, smokey summer.  I believe that the smoke made it all the way to the Twin Cities, too. Tonight the visibility here is predicted to be about 2 miles, which is quite reduced from normal. I can’t imagine how awful it must be for people living in western Montana. All we can do is wait,  and hope for precipitation.

A friend of mine from the Flathead Reservation in Montana says that the only thing that will put out the fires is snow. I am happy to report that snow is predicted in the higher elevations out there tonight. It rained here today and it didn’t dissipate the smoke at all. All we can do is wait it out.

This has been a summer of waiting on the weather-waiting for rain that never came, waiting for it to cool down (it was 98° here yesterday) and now waiting for the smoke to go away.  It is a lesson in human insignificance and the power of nature.

What are you waiting for?

67 thoughts on “Waiting For The Smoke To Clear”

  2. Rise and Shine Baboons,

    I am waiting for a trip.

    I am getting ready to travel to Ireland for 12 days with a group of my art/polymer clay friends for a class and touring. By chance, we are staying at a retreat center that is located in the county from where my Irish ancestors originated. We leave Sept 25, so I am awaiting that day. I am also trying to get a blog together about two. Of these ancestors, as well as the trip.

    To be continued….
    .

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  3. I am waiting for the seasonal weather patterns to shift in the hopes that it will also shift flight patterns for a bit (it’s been an especially plane-noisy summer…and really, who needs to be on a plane at 5am? and why is it flying over my house?). Waiting for the roof work to get done at my neighborhood library – it’s only been a couple of weeks but I miss my library (also, the equipment starts up there at 7am on weekdays…I really don’t want to listen to that at 7am while I’m eating breakfast). I’m waiting for snow. I’m waiting to see who may want to buy some of my worldly goods at a yard sale tomorrow…

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  4. I am waiting for the Lynx to finish off the Mystics and have another go at (most likely) the Sparks. Go Lynx!!
    I am waiting for an end to the heat and humidity and the beginning of beautiful fall colors.
    That being said….I am eagerly awaiting a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, departing next week. Angkor Wat has been on my “must see” list for a very long time.
    I, too, await the end of the current presidency.

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  5. I was just about to put away the Clothes for Hottest Weather and bring out long-sleeved shirts… looks like it will be a while yet, so I am waiting for more fallish weather.

    Waiting to hear if our friend W. will get the desired apartment, or be at top of waiting list for the next available. If he gets it, then we start the process of selling his house – more waiting while we help him clear out and move.

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    1. I actually wore a long-sleeved shirt not that long ago (not this week). I was thrilled to think that maybe the summer heat was over. Ha! Joke’s on me.

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  7. My family and I are struggling to solve several challenges.

    One set of issues is my health and my integration into a team of medical professionals. I am assembling a team, working out the insurance issues, meeting new doctors and taking many tests. This is the most bedeviling part of moving to a new city. I’ve made progress but have far to go.

    Second, we are dealing with a crisis related to my grandson’s integration to his new school system. Today we finish the first week of second grade for him. It has not gone well. We’re made progress of a sort by finally agreeing that something new has to happen.

    Finally, my sil is sending out his resume in many directions, applying for a new job. I’ve heard a rumor that there might be hopeful developments, but we all have been working too hard putting out fires related to the first two areas and so have not had a chance to share what might be good news.

    What is common to all three of these “challenges” is that we cannot afford to wait with any of them. Unless we press, these matters could become even more threatening than they are.

    I’ve heard a rumor that my nephew’s home in Naples, Florida, did escape water damage (it was a close call).

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    2. geeze steve
      hard to get very settled in to a relaxing posture with all that lurking in the room
      i hope each of your challenges gets resolved positively and quickly
      how much you are to congratulated for maintaining an upward reach for the positive in such uncertain times
      health, liam, resolution, peace
      i wish them all for you

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    3. You have a lot on your plate, none of which you can control. I wish that I could help somehow. One of the hardest things in life is feeling/being helpless to the suffering of someone we love. On the other hand, if this family has one primary trait, it’s resilience. Every one of us!

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    5. His family here was very worried since Naples was predicted to be the epi center. It’s only 3′ above sea level, and they thought it’d get a 14′ storm surge. Dave and family had only moved there one week earlier, and in FL you have to wait 30 days before being eligible for flood insurance. They didn’t escape a bullet; they escaped a cannon ball!!

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  8. I am waiting for…
    * Poldark, Season 3
    * the hot weather to just GO AWAY (also would like improvement in the air quality, but I have no right to complain when I compare the situation here to points further west)
    * some good political news (maybe for this – http://mnhealthplan.org/ – to come into being)
    * the MN Twins to actually, maybe, get into the postseason – I know that being a fan of a professional sports team shows that I’m not a deep person, but, gosh, it’s just great to have something that is fun to listen to on the radio (as opposed to the news) and gives me a little optimism. I love the great outfield catches, I like walk off home runs, I like pitchers that can pitch out of jams, I like that they seem to be having such a good time.
    * my sister to tell me when I can visit, because gosh darn it, I need to go north and I can’t afford to pay for lodging
    * me to suddenly become more decisive when sorting through my photos so I can instantly tell which ones are the best and which of several similar shots are best

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      2. I grew up prejudiced against athletes and athletics, BiR. I was vain about being above paying any attention to sports. The person who showed me how shallow I was in this regard was–oddly enough–Garrison Keillor. In my first year of grad school at the U of MN I read a lyrical piece Garrison wrote about hockey, an article that suggested hockey could be seen as a magic sort of ballet that was all the more remarkable for having no script.

        The Twins currently have an astonishingly quick player, outfielder Byron Buxton. Only a dolt would find him uninteresting. He slapped out a long hit this year that he turned into the fastest inside-the-park home run in history. Just think of that!

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    3. ljb you sleigh me
      liking the twins makes you shallow?
      i guess i haven’t paid attention to the fact that we have another twins fan here.
      i live the twins and the radio,tv, fantasy baseball rosters are all living the twins this year
      i came up to leech again this weekend to enjoy firepits camping at the spot my brother had his trailer house parked and the minute i got past st. cloud the sky opened up and rained like crazy with the temp dropping to50 tonight and s rainy hog of 60 tomorrow low of 40 tomorrow nite according to he radio
      got to said location and the trailer house is gone from two weeks ago
      luckily the little practice studio tiny house he left up there is perfect
      unbelievably insulated to be sound proof and it makes looking out at the rain a nice thing
      fall is kicking in fast
      greens turning
      celery and gold splashes of red and crimson
      just as the sky darkened the bay out in front of the house has a sheet of white come in and land followed by another
      hundreds of pelicans
      now there’s something you don’t see every day

      oh and ljb i’m really good at picking the good shot. if you want me to do a session with your stuff sometime i’d be happy to go through your proofs with you. i really like your photographic work.

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  11. I apologize if this repeats. I wrote it 30 minutes or so ago and it didn’t post. I had uncharacteristically remembered to copy it before I sent it, so here it goes, one more time.

    I have said for several years that at my age I never have to wait for anything anymore; time flies so fast that I know whatever is in my foreseeable future, will be upon me before I can blink. I have all but eliminated “I can’t wait for…” from my lexicon.

    That being said, my mom and her husband’s move to assisted living cannot come too soon. We’re now scheduled (moving van and all) for Monday, September 25 to be the first night in their new apartment. We’re trying to replicate as closely as possible, the seamless, stress-free type of move offered by Gentle Transitions. My MIL used them when she moved from her home to a conventional apartment shared with a dear friend. I didn’t know at the time just how costly it was, but it definitely lived up to the advertised speed, efficiency, and we-do-it-all-you don’t-lift-a-finger system they use. They’ll even hang the pictures on the walls and organize an estate sale to re-home the excess worldly goods, if you want them to.

    This move is complicated by the fact that Mom’s husband is not her children’s father. He has children who are deeply involved (a good thing) but, for the first time in their lives, are diametrically opposed on when (the parents are 92 and 93, the time was 5 years ago. NOW is not too soon), how, and where the transition should be accomplished (a very bad thing). It has been a long couple of months! The light at the end of the tunnel is flickering before me. I hope to be less occasional next month.

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    2. I’m glad the move is going to take place soon.

      I have a friend with a mother who is in her mid-90’s and still living in her two-story home. The family doesn’t have any assets to speak of, so she is going to be dependent on public assistance. She’s been assessed, and the county’s attitude seems to be “She’s doing fine, let’s just wait for her to fall and break a hip, then we’ll think about moving her into assisted living.” She lives in Wisconsin. (Is it cynical to say that?)

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  13. Well, we are now waiting to get a new kitten!
    Our oldest cat was put down today due to multiple health issues. I mentioned to the vet tech that our remaining year old cat would need a friend. The vet operates an animal rescue, and the vet tech, a young woman who we have known since she was in Grade 1, said she had a 4 month old rescue kitten in mind for us. Millie, a little calico, won’t be ready to come home until we get back from a trip to Minneapolis in mid October. She has ear issues that need addressing. We met Millie today. She is playful and sweet. Sad and happy today.

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    1. So sorry, Renee. New beginnings with new kittens are always fun, but the pain of losing old friends is never easy to put aside. I think you wrote about your oldest kitty recently – what was her name?

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    4. This is eerily similar to me putting down my 14-year old Peanut just last Friday – isn’t that the name of your fur person, too? I have one remaining cat, Izzy, who’s spent most of her ten years hiding from her own shadow. Just headlights at the end of my 200′ driveway would send her into hiding for a day. There’s so much more to this story, but not for now.

      Two days ago, my son bought me two purebred Ragdoll kittens. They’re about 13 weeks old; a boy and a girl yet unnamed. They look like giant siamese only with long hair. They grow up to 20 lbs, and get their name from a bred-in characteristic of going limp in your arms when held. They’re listed as the 2nd most affectionate breed in the world. Two days with them have already overwhelmed me with their neediness, but I love it!! More later for sure!

      My son had planned on buying me just one Ragdoll. I found a brother and sister and told him that I wanted both of them. When he asked me why two, I explained that an average cat’s life is around 15, and I’ll be 88 by them. When I leave them, I want them to have each other’s companionship.

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  14. I am also waiting for some road construction to end. I’ve been mildly annoyed by nearby construction, but now – starting Monday – it will get much, much worse. I seriously think it will be very, very bad, and that it will be very difficult for me to get out of this neighborhood. Not to mention get back in, if I do manage to leave.

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      1. Yes, it’s hard to do without our main routes.I hope the time you wait will be measured in months, not years. At least we’ll be more appreciative once things re-open.

        I’m going to be in the thick of the 35W work – which will last about 4 years. It will kick off with a bang for this neighborhood when the Franklin Ave bridge (over 35W) closes – until mid-2018. The traffic from there will be diverted to two somewhat nearby one-way streets – which in a particularly untimely move are currently both extending the bike lanes further west, which means that one driving lane will be eliminated in favor of the bike lane. There’s a stretch of street (both of these are busy throughfares) that are down to one lane of traffic – and this is not a temporary closure due to construction, but a permanent restructuring of the lanes. I already am puzzled by the bike lanes they created on these two streets when there is a perfectly good bikes-only trail (the Greenway) 1/2 and 2 1/2 blocks away from these streets. Why do we need to add bike lanes to these already congested streets? (I can count on one hand the bikers I’ve seen on them.) And now to add traffic from Franklin Ave. to them, too? Yi-yi-yi, this is not going to be pretty.

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      1. meant for ljb

        i just saw they shut the high bridge for a year
        damn
        i had been running across to a guitar jam over at that mexican dairy queen by your house linda and now if i go back i’ll have to take another route

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        1. Sadly, twenty bucks a night might be too much. Got a bit of a financial squeeze here. Should be fine in a few months, but things are tight right now. But I will take a look. Thanks.

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        2. Twenty dollars? I just did a quick check and I read $55 (without electricity) or $60 (with electricity). More on weekends. 😦

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        3. up to 65 sorry
          republicans must have decided to make it a taxpayer line item to be reviewed at the next budget session
          want to go to leach?
          free practice studio

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    1. thank you linda
      that is when i was introduced to the roaches exactly
      they did that song and had me as a fan forever
      i have heard it many times but seeing them do it again is magic
      i’ve waited for some things that you would not believe to come true

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  16. Like most of you, I’m anxiously awaiting the corruption explosion down the road. This depth of corruption has only been seen in the mafia, and I can’t wait for him to be fully exposed. The next cable series I want to see is Trump in the starring role of American Greed.

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