Smokepocalypse 2020: Suck it 2017, we got a godzilla plume

Is it mid-September already??

Don't worry. We're all alive still. 

Cough cough, we've just been a little lost in smoke these last few days. 

Ubiquitous Smoky Air picture

Yeah forecast called for little bit of a "singles bar at 2 a.m. in the beforetimes" kinda vibe, minus the smell of stale cocktail and simmering desperation. Our literal weather forecast for the last while has just been: SMOKE. 

Something to do with - oh I don't know - the entire West Coast being on fire again! Not just again. Even Western Washington got in on the burning action this year. I mean California just seems to be doomed to ignite all over the place. And Eastern Washington usually does. But this was kind of a special conflagration from border to border. So, before I complain a little about this smoke stuff, I do fully recognize that we are wildly fortunate to still have a home in which to hide away. So many people and towns have not been so lucky. 

But a good gripe is good for the belly so... 

The smoke is pretty disgusting. And everytime the door opens (and it does way more than I would like it to - including a moment where my darling husband decided to work on something in the garage and prop the garage door to the house open, which we shall not be doing again) it gets worse. Between the smoke outside and the regular chemicals and CO2 that builds up in any one place, the filters have their work cut out for them. 

It really brings home just how incredible fresh air is. And large volumes of air. Burned some food on the stovetop while cooking yesterday and it took the filters 45 minutes to clear it out. Versus just opening a window for a few minutes. 

Three years ago, a smoke event that wasn't quite as heavy as this one definitely contributed to an ER visit, but things are better this time around largely because we're a bit more prepared. For one, I'm not underweight and I'm very aware of the importance of electrolytes right now. Smoke still bothers my skin, my eyes, my nose, my digestion. But I know how to address those a little better. It also lasted a lot longer and it took me about three weeks to get really ill (so fingers crossed for Monday clearing up). And of course we have AC and air purifiers. That's about the biggest difference even if I have ambivalent feelings about the AC. I do think installing it definitely contributed to the rashes getting worse and running it makes my eyes really really puffy and irritable. So far I think that running it alone makes me feel itchier but doesn't actually make my skin worse, though, so that's been good to find out. 

 I thought we'd actually dodged that bullet I admit. I was cautious earlier in the summer. Made it clear that air conditionoing was a top priority. Purchased some very expensive, high quality air purifiers that weigh about three of Chaya. Hunkered down and waited. And waited. And... the air stayed fresh

Once we were getting into September and we just had a little yellow on the AQI model from California, I was feeling pretty good. Then of course, Labor Day happened and we've been mostly locked inside every since.

I did actually have to go in to the doctor on Wednesday for a routine physical. It was a better day, just unhealthy for sensitive individuals, and while I'm sensitive, it didn't bother me much walking to the car and driving for a few minutes. 

But otherwise, it's been a staycation double quarantine life over here. 

Nobody is going stir crazy at all...

I took my clothes off because i was sad! Also, I'm a witch. 

Funny, yes, in August I was worried about the smoke in Klamath Falls... 

The air started to improve about three days before our trip (I had mentioned that I would be uncomfortable with the red air about a week before we were set to arrive). And it was a little gritty but increasingly nice, fine for leaving the windows open and even pretty beautiful by the last day. 

Of course, everyone but me on that trip will likely (1) totally forget my concern and just remember it was a fun trip, which is optimal or (2) remember as a time where I overreacted and things were totally fine. Just chill Adella! 

I maintain that if anything, the smokepocalypse we've experienced recently confirms that if Klamath Falls had had the air quality it was reporting the three or four days before I went and I drove through that smoke to stay in a place with no air conditioning or air purifiers it most definitely would have been a problem, so it was fortunate the air quality improved, but goes to show how wildfire now can make summer planning very unreliable. 

It's cool. I'm used to it. 

But I'm really glad we made it. Everyone was safe about covid. The return drive seems to have triggered a flare of IBS (don't ask, but basically my tummy is sensitive still). I did, indeed, have an increase in hives and rashiness and my eyes were pretty dried out. But all in all, no covids, no hospitalizations. I'd call that a success. 

Beautiful lodge. 

The road tripping was novel. Allan handled the trip out amazingly well. She was so enrapt in watching out the window that she didn't even reach for her kindle until after we stopped for lunch. 

The ride back was a little more fraught, but after a few tantrums and some occasional screams, she marathoned through several of the apps I'd added over the last few days leading into the trip. And she only threw the kindle three times, which is pretty good all in all. Sent me a ton of recordings of her screaming and making poop noises via FB messenger that all downloaded when I got home and the kindle connected with wifi. Hopefully not too many other people, but... probably everyone else on her friends list as well. 

So yeah. Nice trip. Reasonable return. And a good wrap up to summer season before the Labor Day Smokeamaggedon. 

We did a lot of Out School classes. 

Dance camp at the end of nap/quiet time did not turn out to be a brilliant choice, since she spent about half the class confused and another quarter of it crying about some tangential thing that upset her. I do like that in zoom class the teacher can just mute a kid who's having a meltdown. But it does also mean that I always have to be pretty near because they are unpredictable outbursts. 

Classes in the morning tend to be a hit. She sort of demands one almost every morning, which can lead to really random classes just based on when we're done with breakfast and what's being offered. Dinosaurs, Minecraft, Farms, Trolls, Target... you name it. Yesterday we did a class that was mostly just drilling on sight words. I thought she'd hate it, but no. Although she was ambivalent to the sight words themselves (Allan will write out various letters and turn them into characters with distinct personalities and interactions with other letters, and she'll pore through her books retelling the stories and adding her commentary via dictation or drawing, but she's been decisively apathetic towards actual reading and writing), she was fully engaged with everything else. Dancing and jumping and showing everyone her bunny Marlon. We start her actual preschool online on Monday, but will still supplement with Out School, I think.

Also before the smokesplosion Allan Bunny got her very own Fairy Bike! Unlike her strider, it has pedals. She's not really used to those so it was an interesting couple of days going out with it. She is SO my child. SO her Grampa Ian's grandkid. 

No, not deeply deeply tanned. 

Or at least, I have a decent history of getting more and more glib to divert the discomfort of struggling with a new skill during learning. Some teachers find this disconcerting, while others - like my brilliant ballroom teachers - roll with it. When my dad and I were taking dance classes together, might as well have been late night comedy hour, because he is me times some very large numeral in that regard. Allan does less straight quipping, and more loong winded side stories about Baby Bunny going out on her bike with Brother Bunny (pedal) and tripping over (stand up on the bike and look around) the pedals and not knowing how to bike because she's a baby (get off teh bike) but Brother Bunny knows (get on the bike) and then they are a super family (look around) so they can fly and (sit and let mommmy push) fight witches and before Baby Bunny was a baby (put on the breaks instead of pedal forward) she had a motorcycle and hurt herself and sister bunny healed her with songs... (stop. Get off the bike)... 

Andrew's very patient. He knows this is a crucial moment in his future and hers. So he's not pushing too hard. But then again he's not pushing much at all. I've been doing the pushing because she claims that she wants him to ride on his bike while she's on hers, so guess who pushes her and tries to steer her from the bushes? Because suddenly she forgot how to steer despite being terrifically proficient on her strider. 

We had our last excursion on Labor Day itself. And while she was deadly hesitant on the bike (no mommy WHY DID YOU PUSH ME INTO THE BUSHES OOWWWWW I'M HURT!!!!), she immediately hopped off and started mountain goating on some rocks nearby. So confidence is everything. 

Only the uncreative children need real playgrounds...

We'll get her going once we can breathe outside again... 

In the meantime, there are classes to do. And so many different media of art to conquer. 

The turtle got hurt running into a fish, by the way. 

Wish us luck... or just go ahead and send those wishes along to the people actually engaging with the fires themselves. Cannot wait until fall! Bring on the pumpkin spices!