Fire, as in California on fire

Unlike tens of thousands in the north bay, I have power. A little pocket of Santa Rosa has not gone dark, and I knock on wood every minute or so because I am in that little pocket. Not that a power outage would be terrible, but it's certainly a lot better to not be in the dark. Plus getting information is so much easier if you have access to it via electricity.

The Kincade fire in Geyserville is burning. We are waiting to see if the predicted high winds materialize. Having just taken Cooper out for his last walk of the night, I can tell you that the winds have not picked up here in Santa Rosa. It is calm and still and cool.  I remember well two years ago when I did the same walk with Cooper, the winds were already hot and heavy at 10:00. The smell of smoke was intense but the thought of a wildfire didn't occur to me, I just thought someone was having a late barbeque.  A few hours later, I knew better.  The Tubbs fire started near Calistoga a bit before my evening walk but because of the winds, the smoke was already hitting Santa Rosa a little after 10:00.

Today I sat with my friend Izzy at an outdoor Starbucks in Windsor as both of us received "evacuate" notices on our phones.  Starbucks closed down. We sat there and watched people leave the shopping center, watched the businesses shut down. Izzy saw her house in Coffey Park burn two years ago and just about two weeks ago she moved into her family's new house on that same location. Izzy and I decided we would sit there and finish our coffee. If we saw flames, we would leave. Bravado comes in all shapes and sizes.

So far, no flames this far south from the Kincade fire but that could change if the winds pick up and shift. Jenn and Dar in Guerneville were mandatorily evacuated. Steve in Kenwood has no power. Me in Santa Rosa, safe and powered up. The vagaries of the weather, the wind, the fates will continue and no one can stop them. It's not our job to do that, it's just our mission to be prepared, whatever that means. My sister Kate asked me yesterday if I had a bag ready in case I had to leave quickly. I replied No. But today I put a little bag together that has dog food, a dog bowl, dog biscuits, a tee shirt for me, a bottle of good wine, wine opener and a little zip lock bag with my toothbrush, toothpaste, passport and some cash. There is also a paper bag with about 50 photos from years ago.  That's it. Everything else can burn.

That's it for now. I am getting texts from many people asking me if I am in danger. Let's see how this plays out.

xoxo