Family life update: the Valley Fire edition

Well it’s been quite a while since I did a family life update. Here’s the latest. The Valley Fire is currently about 5 to 6 miles away, a good distance. The only thing is, tonight a Santa Ana (a dry, frequently strong Easterly wind) is predicted and if it arrives, a fire could eat up that distance in no time. But as of now, there is no sign of wind. It seems dead calm outside and only now is it starting to clear. We are in the Evacuation Warning zone, I think. But actually, it’s hard to tell, so lame are the evacuation maps put out by Cal Fire. There is a crowd-sourced map, which is far better, but it doesn’t seem to have evacuation recommendations on it. We’re at the base of McGinty Mountain, which is clearly on the map, to the west of the fire blob. And it’s not as if you can rely firmly anyway  on the evacuation notice for anything but an “abundance of caution.” That’s fine, if you want to risk your house burning down, which I don’t.

There’s too much fire and not enough fire fighters to rely on them for the safety of your house. I’m willing to take some risk in this regard. As of now, it seems like no risk, but that could change. My fire pump is now fixed thanks to Dallas at Rancho Jamul Auto and I’m ready to squirt if necessary. We’ve made a reservation at a suite hotel in Mission Valley which generously is letting rooms at reduced prices to evacuees. If necessary the women-folk can hightail it out of here and I’ll stay behind to play fireman until things get too hot, at which point I’ll evacuate myself. I doubt the fire will even get visible from here, but if it does I will start out with my fire hose. The main thing I’m worried about is floating embers from the fire. I have a lot of big trees which would just love to go up like Roman candles. I want to be around to snuff them out if necessary. I wish I had one of those red hats real firemen wear.  I decided to hold back with the PhosCheck until I know where to put it. I only have about 50 gallons diluted, which is only one minute with my hose. I best know where to put it.  I’ll have to buy a lot more when this is all over. It’s difficult for civilians to find, or was.

I’m not too worried about being too courageous. I remember the Cedar Fire and the bone dry hot wind that gusted out of the Southeast before that fire came. You felt it in your core. I had my fire pump back then too. It still stood next to my pool when I got back to our house, unused. You just knew when it was time to bug out. It’s not now but it might be tomorrow.

This has been one heck of a spring, summer and now fall. First the pandemic, then the market crash, then the George Floyd/BLM/antifa bad business, and now this. Oh, and the election. It’s enough to make a body think. Of what, I’m not sure. I cancelled my class tomorrow, fearing if not the worst, at least enough not to want to be on stage.  It makes me think of that little house on the lake in North Idaho, receding quickly into the financial stratosphere. They get forest fires up there too.