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Welcome

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Make yourself at home. Put your feet up. Grab your favorite beverage and prepare to enjoy the reads.
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Friday

Mountain Lion Seen In Monterey

In the news yesterday, a woman walking her dog in Via Paraiso Park saw and reported a mountain lion while she was out walking her dog. She said it followed her, and she hid in a shed until it went away. Other people living in the same area also saw it. Police and animal control officers went door-to-door notifying residents to be on the lookout for the animal.

This is exactly what I have been concerned about, because of the fires. Where can the large animals go to survive, to get food and water?

More information on mountain lion encounters can be found here

This will show a map of their habitat.

Big Sur Fire

It's a pretty calm video, but this fire really concerns me. Not for myself, but the size of it is IMMENSE. They don't expect to have it contained until the end of the month. Maybe. This winter, with all the brush and trees burned away, we will have mudslides if it rains. As pointed out in the video and what concerns me too, is the wildlife. The little guys can't get away very easily, in my opinion, but what about the deer, the coyotes, wolves, mountain lions, and yes, the bears. Seems to me they would have enough smarts and stamina to get away. But, to where? Where can they run to except right into civilization?

More on California fires

It just boggles my mind. There is a new meaning for "California, the Golden State"

Where I live is placed right in the middle between these three fires

The mention Santa Cruz Fire, really named the Trabing fire, is less than 5 miles from my home. I was in the process of taking my cat to the vet that day. It was 105 degrees. I saw the beginning smoke start to climb into the sky, and hesitated to take hiway 1. It's a good thing I did because it would have been a nightmare to get caught on the road with the cat in the car in that heat right next to the flames. That is exactly what happened to other drivers at the time. Hiway 1 was blocked and travelers were kept at a standstill. In that heat, I can't imagine many being able to keep their parked cars air conditioners running for the length of time they were stopped without a way to turn around and get away. My car would have over heated in those conditions.

The Gilroy fire as referred to in the video is 17 miles miles from my home.

The San Martin Fire, 21 miles

The other fire up near Mt. Madonna was called the Summit fire was about 7 miles. It's not that these fires started all at once. They overlapped in the times they were burning. But definitely caused a lot of dirty air.

Mt Madonna County Park Fire

Close to my home. This fire started in Corralitos, seven miles away from me

When looking at the map, notice when they mention and show Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. I live approximately a mile from there.

Understanding Extent of Summit Fire

When this fire started, I packed my cat into my car and drove up to San Francisco to stay with Xavier and Trish.

Change

fascinate me
calm me
give me a sensation
beyond knowing
all that changes
remains unchanged

-Elizabeth Munroz

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Taking Time



 





















"If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"

- John Wooden

Monday

Happy Birthday Fire

Had a shut-in birthday. The nearby fire this week has been serious, houses burned. Some animals, have not escaped. Though now, at least it is contained. It saddens me to think of so much devastation for those who are facing the losses. Some stay to the last minute hosing down their roofs! They think it was started by a motorist, perhaps the muffler scraping on the road too close to the shoulder.

Trabing Fire as seen from the other side of the county 25 miles away.
We had a thunderstorm with lightening Friday (no rain) so many strikes that started numerous fires throughout the state. We seldom have thunder storms and lightening. It's been so dry this year. So dangerous.

I couldn't believe my ears tonight when they said on the news that Governor Swartzenegger announced there are presently 520 wildfires in CA.

My asthma has been well controlled this last year but not now. There's no place I can go to get away from the smoke. The usual ways out are blocked from day to day.

Truly, I am NOT in danger personally. I live close to the edge of the city. But farmland filled with fresh growing vegetables and berries of all types separate me from the wild lands and forests. Though they are close.

The one near me, the"Trabing" Fire was so close that leaves were lifted off the eucalyptus trees and flung all around town, and of course it snowed ash. My car was covered with it. I bet it's good for the garden though.




"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with."
- Jim Rohn
"Never worry about numbers.
Help one person at a time,
and always start with
the person nearest you."
- Mother Teresa



Sunday


"Success is not the key to happiness.

Happiness is the key to success.

If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

~ Albert Schweitzer ~

Saturday

On the Way to the Vet

I put my cat in her travel case to take her to the vet. It was nearly 100 degrees out.

Even though my car has air conditioning, I worried she would be stressed by my putting her in the hot car and waiting until it cooled down.

So I took some picnic ice packs I had in the freezer and laid some beneath the cage and laid some on top of them.

As I started to drive away, I noticed there was a large plume of smoke in the direction of the freeway. I knew the sign. Wildfire! I decided to not take the freeway and turned the car around to take the long way.

Very quickly the traffic on Freedom Blvd, increased and slowed. You can see in the picture on the left all the cars lined up one after the other. That's unusual.

Seemed like traffic might have been diverted and other drivers had the same plan as me. Then, I got another look at that plume of smoke. It had tripled in size!

By that time the leaves from the trees were being blown into town. No way was I going to take a chance and get caught in traffic near all that, even with the air conditioning on. What if the car overheated? What if I had to get out, carry my cat and walk.

I pulled over and stopped, took a couple pictures, then went home.