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Smokey the Bear State
Living in Indiana, Massachusetts, and Japan, I've missed the growing west coast fire seasons over the years. Had a few summer visits, but missed any fumes. Had covid not happened, I would probably have moved somewhere by summer -- Montreal perhaps, being cooler and cheaper than other humid alternatives while my job hunt continued. (Then again, had covid not happened, I might have a job, which might add other constraints.)
But covid did happen, and I'm still hiding in LA, and as the summer went I thought maybe I'd gotten lucky. Or that the state had burned itself out last year.
NOPE.
LA was escaping the Bay Area fires for a while; I saw a big "thundercloud" from an Azusa ranch a few weeks ago but it didn't seem to affect overall air quality. Now, though, it's bad. Not sure how bad, online sources very a lot (my phone weather apps are very cheerful, aqicn predicts 400+ dooms that never happen.)
The outside air has definitely smelled smoky the last few days, though varying: stronger at noon, weaker at 5pm. Just as notable was the light: 5 pm a couple days ago didn't smell, but looked very weird, what I assume is from the total diffusion of light. Yesterday I saw a bar of red light through the kitchen window -- at 3pm, long before sunset.
Through the magic of Amazon, I now have an air purifier. I'd about DIY ones, where you get a 20" filter and a box fan, but just getting a True HEPA purifier wasn't that much more, and at an alleged 5 pounds I thought it might even be portable if I moved, though it looks and feels more substantial in person. I have no idea if it's helping; my first reaction is that I'm smelling plastic from the newly unboxed thing...
But covid did happen, and I'm still hiding in LA, and as the summer went I thought maybe I'd gotten lucky. Or that the state had burned itself out last year.
NOPE.
LA was escaping the Bay Area fires for a while; I saw a big "thundercloud" from an Azusa ranch a few weeks ago but it didn't seem to affect overall air quality. Now, though, it's bad. Not sure how bad, online sources very a lot (my phone weather apps are very cheerful, aqicn predicts 400+ dooms that never happen.)
The outside air has definitely smelled smoky the last few days, though varying: stronger at noon, weaker at 5pm. Just as notable was the light: 5 pm a couple days ago didn't smell, but looked very weird, what I assume is from the total diffusion of light. Yesterday I saw a bar of red light through the kitchen window -- at 3pm, long before sunset.
Through the magic of Amazon, I now have an air purifier. I'd about DIY ones, where you get a 20" filter and a box fan, but just getting a True HEPA purifier wasn't that much more, and at an alleged 5 pounds I thought it might even be portable if I moved, though it looks and feels more substantial in person. I have no idea if it's helping; my first reaction is that I'm smelling plastic from the newly unboxed thing...