Monday, July 11, 2016

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Smoke

We woke up from our Sunday nap to a sky filled with smoke. Not only did a fire start near Nederland, where Daughter #2 lives, but a huge forest fire, thanks to a lightning strike, picked up in the Hayden Pass area. (The word 'Hayden' strikes memories of several nasty fires in the past. It's notorious for beautiful vistas...and careless campers.) 
    Thankfully, Daughter #2 and her partner did not have to evacuate. (Yet.) But the fire is about a mile from their place -- enough for towering columns of smoke, with flames licking at the sky. Plus planes coming in regularly to scoop huge buckets of water from nearby Barker Reservoir. 
    Awe-inspiring, yes...but creepy, too.



     Californians, I'm sure you can relate. You, like we, share an uneasiness during these dry weather periods. And when you've got tourists visiting, the fire danger gets worse -- the Ned fire was started by two doofuses from Alabama who didn't bother to make sure their campfire was out. (They weren't even supposed to have one in the first place, I'm guessing.)
     The smoke is better today -- but the wind has picked back up. Not good.





Bernie Sanders is expected to endorse Hillary Clinton's presidential bid this week. After all Sanders' work on his own campaign, not to mention the nasty things both candidates said about each other. Sanders' statements focus more on keeping a united front to beat Donald Trump, than they do about Mrs. Clinton herself.
    Gee, that eases my mind. A lot.

"I love my son with all my heart. I hate what he did." An interview with the Dallas shooter's mother and dad.

25 tiny houses you can build this summer. (From Instructables) While you're there, take a look at this, too:

18 cleaning ideas even your mom would appreciate.

Getting around in Bulgaria. (from A Life By Design) This Canadian blogger has been living in Mexico for years...get her take on moving to Europe for a while, instead.

A math professor is accused of being a terrorist on a plane...because he's doing math equations to keep himself calm. You could swear some novelist made this up -- but it's true.

Should you be nervous about the economy?  (Money Beagle thinks so.) In keeping with that:

How the Brexit vote is going to affectAmericans.   Or at least what this columnist thinks it's going to mean... (From Get Rich Slowly)

Debt diaries. Five people who got themselves into trouble by their decisions -- and what they did about it.  (From The Simple Dollar)

Twenty very silly cat photos. We need silliness right now...badly.

19th century boat -- found intact UNDER a New Jersey home! Apparently the house was built around it...

A coin found glued in a book fetches millions of dollars. The coin, not the book!

A huge list of inexpensive (including free!) imaginative play toys for kids.  (From Educator 101)

A Brit's view on Brexit. (From Life After Money)

Why are some wealthy people so frugal? Good stuff here, if you can suffer through the numerical tables.  (From Quora)

All sorts of treasures found -- at flea markets, thrift shops, undersea...and more. This website has a whole section you'll want to explore.


Have a great fire-free week.



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