The stars look dim tonight, but I don't know if it's because my eyesight keeps getting worse or because the smoke from the fire is hazing the sky. It's burned more than 6,000 acres now, and destroyed 41 houses, but is 70% contained. It will probably be with us for several days yet. If nothing else gets started in the meantime, we might get clear skies again by the middle of next week, and then I'll find out if it's smoke or my eyes.
Of course it's also possible that the stars are dimming because the universe is rushing away from earth in horror. I've been expecting that to happen for a long time now, and maybe the day has finally arrived. The sun certainly hasn't joined in the exodus, though. It has probably been assigned the task of burning us all to a crisp. So far it's doing a hell of a job, I must say.
