Fire in the Hills

Those of us living west of Mt. Hood were greeted yesterday with orange-brown haze of wildfire drifting across the gorge and clogging our senses with the distinct odor of wood-fueled smoke. It's fire season, and the alert is sent out to all of us to live smart and tread lightly near areas prone to fire. In the last three weeks the grasses have become crisp and golden brown, ready to ignite from a careless spark or ember, and the potential for a mass burn grows daily until the fall rains submit their offering, which is some time from now.

Bless those fire fighters that work 18 hour days working the lines, risking injury and tempting fate daily in their rugged pursuit of battling an encroaching fire.