Smoke!

 

 

One of my early morning visitors. The most beautiful time of day here, when the sun comes over the mountain to the east and lights up the river and trees all golden.

I have only seen does, no bucks. A mom walked by the window yesterday with her two little fawns, a pretty sight. She probably brought them by to check out our tall grazing. Still no luck on finding someone to mow. 

The light has turned strange and murky. With this record heat spell and drought, fires were inevitable in central and eastern Washington.  And here they come. 

One of the most popular passes across the state is closed (North Cascades Highway) due to fire. It is very hot, and people are trying to stay inside with doors and windows closed. Miserable. I’m grateful for the window AC at this house, but it is so noisy I turn it off at night.  I would rather sweat and listen to the river. Most people (including us) have air purifiers than also run constantly.

That's the free lunch line for kids at Twisp City Park.  Each day at noon, the school district hands out a generous bag lunch. How nice, and I'm sure it helps many families. It includes breakfast items like cereal for the next day.

I've been busy with the children-- Nova, Maya and their two friends, mostly shuttling back and forth to the pool for swim team and such. Of course, they are all on different schedules, making the logistics all the more challenging for parents.

Amanda and I exchange text all day while she is at work. Otherwise I would have no idea where to go or when. What would they do without the pool this summer?  The kids love it, and everyone knows everyone. There is a sense of watching out for each other.  Formal childcare for kids their age is nonexistent. There are camps and such, but the kids need to be dropped off and picked up, usually in the middle of the day. No help for working parents. School can’t start soon enough. 

Twisp is a small town, and now Nova and Maya are old enough to walk from their house to the pool. This is the first summer for that, a big transition for all concerned.

The free lunch buffet.  An astonishing amount of processed food, and each bag a little different so there is much bartering, grabbing and trading.  The most disliked item being "sun butter" made from sunflower seeds. (Peanut butter is a no-no at school.) I tasted it and have to agree on the yuck factor.

Well, I'm headed back to Seattle tomorrow morning. I've had a good time but ready to go home.  That is, my other home. How lucky I am having two places. although lots of work on both ends, as I've been forewarned. I needed a project, as John says. 

He is fine, but I'll rescue him from the heavy-on-the-teriyaki-and-soup diet. Later this month, we'll return to the house for another stay. Just hope and pray the fire season doesn't get worse before it gets better. Everyone is terribly on edge here, and for good reason.