Thumbs-up in shark pajamas

Couldn't resist sharing this photo—here my nephew (in pajamas covered in little sharks) and firefighter Jeremy Billeaudeaux from the City of Orange give a thumbs-up for the camera—the big Humboldt fire is under control. My sister's house was spared, but 74 other homes were lost. It's going to be a long, tough fire season, boy. Mr. Billeaudeaux and his crew (who drove for 12 hours from Orange County to Northern California) were part of 3,000 or so firefighters who fought the 23,000 acre fire. They drove in intense heat, worked and slept (in the high school gym) in intense heat, and remained cheerful and gracious throughout. Amazing, amazing people, firefighters.  Here's to an uneventful, fabulous weekend for all of us. :)

Comments

[Lareign]

That is ridiculously cute. Glad to hear it's under control, although it's always sad to hear that houses were lost.

Sunday we got a big windy storm with rain. My lights flicked on and off, on and off, at least six or seven times. I wish I was kidding. But they never stayed off for any longer than it took me to start cursing.

My cat Lola is being silly. Lately she's taken to pacing up and down my headboard in the morning and mewing like she's telling me to get up. Does she know I tend to ignore my alarm clock and/or wake up two minutes before it goes off to turn it off?

[Julie Anne Long]

that photo is precious, isn't it?? Pretty exciting for a little boy to get to wear a real fireman's hat, too. :) And yikes, Lareign!! The weather is crazy all over the country still, seems like. I've heard from people on the east coast who are having wild thunderstorms. It's a study in extremes everywhere. E.g., this week we've (SF) hit another hot patch -- 88 degrees!! For us, very hot. Clouds came in later today and it cooled, but it wasn't fog, per se. Quite odd for this time of year. I like heat and sunshine, but we don't start getting rain until around October, typically. So we're talking dry and dryer.

Is that a new habit for Lola?? The pacing? It's always funny when they suddenly spring a new habit on you. My cat has forsaken me lately (I usually wake up with him sprawled somewhere across my person, unless it's hot, which is seldom) for this new small soft bench I have in the living room. Hmmmph. I wake up, and I hear him jump down from it to stroll guiltily back into the bedroom in the morning because he always, always seems to know the moment I wake up. I'm feeling abandoned. LOL. The novelty of the bench ought to wear off at some point, however. :)

[Kathy K]

Julie I LOVE that picture ~ and I can just imagine how excited your nephew would have been... and on top of that being able to go back home!
We've been really lucky here weather-wise; but then we usually are. But for all those who are going through so many different tragedies, I hope that it all ends soon.
Nature can be one scary, scary force.

Glad your sister and her family are back home and that they didn't lose everything. My heart goes out to those who did lose it all though.

[Lareign]

Woo I'm a bit late, but it's a fairly new habit for her, I guess. She's funny. I love to watch them as they sit on the window ledge in my room, staring at the world outside. My mom came up for my birthday last week and they were chewing the ribbons on my gifts, ha. It was hilarious.

How are the fires doing? I've heard they're flaring up again. This weather season has been nuts. My brother is in Florida and I'm wondering if the hurricanes will be as weird and extreme as everything else has been.

Happy birthday, Lareign!! Did you get any good loot? :) Do anything special?? And Oy, fires are still EVERYWHERE in CA. And my sister's town is affected by yet another huge new one. She says it's apocalyptic up there. The smoke is making everyone sick and the sky is orange. It's emotionally and physically exhausting for everyone. So odd. And really, this isn't even the official fire season yet. although by the time that rolls around there might be nothing green left to burn. What a thought!! We just have to get through this summer somehow. Big heatwave in the Bay Area right now, though it's not all that hot near the water, where I am. Hazy and more like mid 70's, feels like.