A goal that I have kind of amazingly stuck to since January is to write in a journal a summary of the month at the end of each month. This is pretty much why I am able to report that: The first day there was smoke was Labor Day, the 7th. We noticed it driving home from the coast range.
On the 9th, I went to work for a bit and the sky looked surreal. I took these photos in the backyard that evening.
On the 10th and 11th, I walked the dogs without Nat, since the air quality was “very unhealthy” and you could really feel it.
On the 13th, the air quality was hazardous for the first time, and that kept us from even walking the dogs for a few days. It was such a sad, heavy time.
I think it was on the 15th that we packed up essentials and left them in a pile by the door (journal fail). Our house was on the edge of the level 1 “be ready” evacuation zone.
On the 16th, the air quality was back down to unhealthy, so I walked the dogs, but it went back to hazardous later.
Also on the 16th, I booked a flight to Colorado with the intention of spending time with Ian’s mom in the last days of her life. That is not how that happened, though.
This was over a month ago. I don’t have the bandwidth to say more. It feels like at least five things of this magnitude have happened just since then.

The last picture was taken on the 11th. It was a Friday. Nat and I were sitting at the dining room table, eating lunch I think. We saw a mother and baby deer in the cul-de-sac. Our neighbors to the right texted us. Their neighbor to the right was standing outside taking a photo on his phone. Their neighbors to the right weren’t out, but they have a gorgeous garden with lots of roses in the front lawn, so my neighbor to the left was standing in the circle trying to move the deer along. Bob trying to save Jenny’s roses from the deer. It was just the sweetest moment. I love living on this street.