Coming back from the stores this afternoon I saw a brown cloud stretching above the mountains to the east. Checking the Cal Fire web site, I find that it's probably smoke from this fire. The location is around twenty miles from my house, and on the other side of Lake Oroville, so unlikely to reach here (at least by any direct route.) It's no wonder it was making so much smoke, though, as it has already burned about 1000 acres (plus ten houses.) Cal Fire is calling it by the rather ominous name Wall Fire, due to its point of origin near Chinese Wall Road. It calls to my mind the unwelcome image of a wall of fire advancing relentlessly.
But if I am to be burned alive or die of heat stroke, at least I've gotten the shopping out of the way for the week, and have bought very little stuff, so I'll have little to regret if I don't live long enough to eat it. And so far the smoke is remaining high enough that we can't smell it here. I hope it stays away, so I can sleep. Smoke tends to keep me awake, even more than heat does, and as I only got about four hours of sleep last night I really need some tonight. I count on my exhaustion to counteract the heat that would otherwise keep me awake. I'm not even thinking about eating. I'm sure as hell going to drink, though.
