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Greetings regular readers,

I am happy to report that after eight days of evacuation, being away from our home and neighborhood, not knowing if we would have either to return to, we are safely back home. We owe an eternal debt of gratitude to our friends who took us in during this terrifying time full of anxiety and worry. And thanks to all who reached out to check in on us. We appreciate your concern and good wishes.

And most of all, an enormous thank you to the men and women of Cal Fire who worked tirelessly, back to back shifts at the start of the fires, for their bravery and dedication.

Finally, my heart goes out to all those in our neighboring areas who have lost their homes and all their possessions.

If you can, consider donating to these institutions that are helping those who have lost homes.

--California Community Foundation Wildfire Relief Fund
--California Wildfire Relief Fund sponsored by Go Fund Me (they organize the donations into grants to individuals, organizations, and communities that have either been impacted themselves or are dedicated to helping those affected by the California wildfires)
--Monterey County Community Resilience Program
--North Valley Community Foundation Wildfire Relief and Recovery Fund

JEF

Wildfires

Dear regular readers,

If you have read my short bio to the right, you have seen that I am a California resident--Northern California to be exact. And I have been affected by the horrific, unprecedented wildfires that are raging throughout our state.

The last several days of postings were ones I wrote and scheduled last week, before the destruction began. I have been displaced from my home and my neighborhood, and we as well as an enormous portion of Northern California are under mandatory evacuation, not allowed to return until an all clear has been given by Cal Fire and government authorities.

Because of this, I am taking a little break from the blog--as well as my career and most of my life--to reserve my mental and emotional energy in order to check the status of my home, monitor the fires, and track the daily progress. Seems like things are moving in a good direction, but it could be up to 2 weeks before I am back in my home, if I have one to return to, knock wood. We are worried and frightened but hopefully soon I will be knocking the wood of my own home with joy and relief.

Of course my thoughts and utter empathy are with those whose homes are destroyed.

Stand by, and if you have a spare burst of mental energy, send it our way and envision the fire getting smaller and smaller...

JEF

PS: I have some sporadic posts already written and queued up starting September 1st. I will let you all know when I am officially back and safe.

How To Survive A Wildfire

I live in Northern California where this information could come in useful although I hope and wish I never need it...but it could come in handy for anyone, really, since climate change is wreaking havoc in so many ways in so many places. I did not know that you should keep your clothes dry. Makes sense.

https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-survive-a-wildfire/

BEAUTY: Installation--Herb Williams

Artist/sculptor Herb Williams uses an unusual medium to create his work: Crayola crayons. His newest installation entitled "Unwanted Visitor: Portrait of Wildfire" opened October 7, 2011 at the National Ranching Heritage Center (NRHC) in Lubbock, Texas. It is meant to draw attention to the environmental catastrophe of wildfire in Texas as the wax of the sculptures eventually melts under the baking Texas sun... a poetic visual for the disaster of wildfire. Photos by Ashton Thornhill.


http://www.herbwilliamsart.com/
http://www.ashtonthornhill.com/
http://www.crayola.com/