✏️ Newsletter 9/22/20: “Month Seven”

Today is the fall equinox. That means that there are equal amounts of day and night. We are officially going into fall. Winter will begin officially on December 21st. We are in the seventh month of Shelter in Place (SIP) and are in the process of reopening. Figuring out new ways to do things that were just normal activities just 8 months ago. We also have at least two months of fire season to go.

We have weathered one wildland fire, along with the pandemic. We are now keenly aware of AQI. Minimal smoke from the Woodward Fire is impacting our area, but drift smoke from much larger and destructive blazes continues to cover the area, depending on wind direction. Be kind to your lungs, and ease up if possible when air quality is not good. No reason to compromise your lungs during a pandemic.

KWMR is ceasing our every 30-minute Woodward Fire updates for now. There is minimal news on the containment and daily activity of the fire. If conditions change, or there are any new incidents, we will return to the airwaves with updates. Once again, we are so thankful for the response that contained this fire and spared any homes or human lives. For updates and information on open and closed areas of the National Park, please check their website.

I don’t like the term “the new normal.” I do, however find it to be an appropriate way to explain how my brain is attempting to deal with the situation in which we find ourselves in 2020. I like order, but I’m not a fanatic, and prefer to be flexible to recalibration based on the circumstances. I am also relatively comfortable with ambiguity, and can roll with it. I find it fascinating that things exist on the periphery. I am open to these factors influencing the things over which I have some control. But the sheer number of factors that we are being asked to internalize can be overwhelming.

And that’s on a normal day in 2020.

I hope that this newsletter finds you coping, having an occasional good laugh, and continuing to smile. Thank goodness for blue skies, clean air, and a good conversation with a friend.