THANKSGIVING

We're not in a festive mood this year due to the hideousness of wildfire in Paradise. So we have to remind ourselves to be thankful for small stuff like this little maple that suddenly turned a beautiful shade of red orange while we weren't looking. Every place I go in Medford we seem to end up talking about Paradise...the young man who bagged my groceries at Traders said he lost his childhood home in Paradise and as did many of his former neighbors. 
So we're thinking of the North State (of California) this year.  

PEOPLE WANT SOMEBODY TO BLAME...

The rules have changed when it comes to wildfires in the West...If you are living in a forested or suburban area with mature trees and next to wildlands, you have to pay attention. The reverse 911 calls only work if folks believe them. Too many think it's still the days of defending your home with a garden hose! THOSE DAYS ARE OVER!!!
Personal responsibility! 

HERE IN THE WEST, WE ARE ALL LIVING WITH A VERY FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY!

It turns out that lots of folks up here in the Rogue Valley have friends and relatives in the Paradise/Chico area. I ran into a couple of them at Trader Joe's. One lady told me that her kids lived in Paradise until last year when they sold their home and moved into Chico because they feared wildfires like what happened in 2008. Another lady said her son, a physician, lived in Chico and was helping with the evacuation, treating people as they escaped the flames but had burns.  
Our kids are safe in Chico, but our daughter in law Susan (who works for the city of Paradise and has lived there most of her life) has been pulling 12 hour shifts at the emergency command center. We did hear that the Town Hall in Paradise was not burned down. Hope that is true!
We are just as much at risk here in the foothills of the Cascades because the same conditions exist...overbuilding and overgrowth of fuels. So many people here don't clean out their underbrush in their yards. We could be next.