YELLOW/GRAY SKIES

 Today the skies were not orange, they were yellow/gray.  It reminded people of the Terminator movie.  It was just so ominous.  So blah.  It reminded me of back East in the moments before a thunderstorm when it gets that funky color in the sky, the leaves turn over, and it gets dark.  It was like that all day without the rain.

This afternoon the smoky smell came.  It smelled like burnt tires.  Then the soot came.  Where I live there isn't a lot of ash and soot but things are starting to get covered with a layer of black soot.  I took Lucky out on the deck and my sock bottoms were black.  

It also got harder to breathe as the day went on.  We have air quality alerts and then worst alert I have ever seen is RED.  That means Unhealthy air: avoid outdoor exertion especially children and people with heart and lung disease.  Today they gave a PURPLE alert.  What is a PURPLE alert??  I have never heard of a PURPLE alert.  I think they just made that up because they didn't use it last year during the fires when businesses sent their employees home.  The PURPLE alert says Very Unhealthy air: everyone should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion especially those with heart and lung disease.  I guess they mean quarantine again, now from smoke!  

I am turning my heat off since it will draw air from outside even though since the sun has been covered, the weather has not gotten above 60 degrees during the day and 50 degrees at night.  So bizarre since it was 100 degrees a few days ago.  

Today I purchased an air purifier. I used to have one years ago and I horrified with the amount of junk that it collected.  I gave up when I had two dogs because there was dandruff and fur everywhere, it was a losing battle.  Now I have only one dog and she is not a big shedding dog so it isn't as much a problem.  Plus, now there are constant fires so I thought this is the time to get a purifier for when I sleep.  If it works well, I may get another for upstairs.  Cleaning the house air filter a few days ago will help too.

I, of course, feel for the people who have lost, and will lose, their homes from the 32 fires in CA and the many fires in OR and WA.  It is a horrible situation and we need to do something about climate change.  Something is off when there are things like firenados and orange skies.  

Until tomorrow...