What I'm thinking today: #smokeintheair

Showing posts with label #smokeintheair. Show all posts

Thursday, 29 June 2023

Thursday, or Thereabouts - June 29, 2023

The first week of summer 2023 is in the rearview mirror. Here's what she brought:

We went from near drought to monsoon, with 97mm (3.8 inches) dumped in torrential downpours interspersed with sunshine. Then the rain stopped and the wind shifted, bringing in the wildfire smoke from the north, and this time it really stank! At one point yesterday afternoon the AQI in my neck of the woods reached 223 (very unhealthy), while at the same time the city of Toronto could boast the highest AQI in the world at just over 300 (hazardous). Blech!

The view outside my front door, just before the smoke got really bad.

Meanwhile, the strawberries came in right on time and they are luscious.

I don't pick the berries myself anymore - strawberries are just too low to the ground for my knees and back. So I bought two flats (12 litres/quarts) of berries for $72 and processed them into 13 x 500ml jars and 5 x 250ml jars of luscious jam.

Batch one of 4

Of all the berries, strawberries demand the most prep work and truth be told it's a labour of love for me. I don't really like strawberry jam. I love the fresh berries but nothing made from them. No jam, no yogurt, no ice cream, not even strawberry gin (well maybe a bit of that...). But those first berries of summer are an all time favourite of the rest of the family. Just open the jar and give them a spoon!

My favourites, raspberries, blackcurrants, and wild blueberries, are coming!

So is Canada Day.

I am humbly grateful to have my home on this piece of land in Canada.

I am keenly aware of the debt I owe to the native keepers of this land.

I acknowledge the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ, Huron-Wendat, and Haudenosaunee.

I also acknowledge the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation as my close neighbour.

I recognize the contributions that have been made by the Métis, Inuit, and other Indigenous Peoples in shaping and strengthening our communities.

I thank all the generations of people who have taken care of this land for thousands of years.

Miigwech.

I'm thrilled and so very proud to be a part of the colourful mosaic that is my home on native land. We're not perfect, not by a long shot; we're not without problems; we've got critical issues and controversies that need tending, but not right now. Let the problems and politics, failures and controversies take a back seat this coming weekend.

On July 1, 1960, John Diefenbaker, Canada's 13th Prime Minister, introduced the Canadian Bill of Rights in Parliament with these words:

"I am a Canadian!

Free to speak without fear,

Free to worship in my own way,

Free to stand for what I think right,

Free to oppose what I believe wrong,

Free to choose those who shall govern my country.

This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and mankind."

Amen to that!

Tomorrow is the last day of school. Summer is here. It will be what it will be. Stay safe out there.

Thursday, 8 June 2023

Thursday, or Thereabouts - June 8, 2023

Looking outside these days, one would think that given the time of year, June not December, that a hot humid air mass would suffocate me if I stepped outside my door. Not so! It's a cool 16°C (61°F) and the hazy air stinks. Current AQI(US scale) as of 12:00 June 8 for Newmarket, the largest town near me: 164 - UNHEALTHY. Toronto is 132.

my street - the haze has been worse and is much worse in the city.

Plumes of smoke from wildfires in Quebec and Ontario's northeast waft across the land, obscuring the sun and carrying hazardous levels of tiny particles. These fine particles measure 2.5 microns (2.5/1000mm) or less and cannot be seen by our eyes (for reference human hair is around 70 microns). That small size makes them efficient infiltrators of deep lung tissue.

Smokey Sunset

I learned this first hand when I was in China in 2014. I wrote in my journal:

By evening on the second day in Shanghai, I was stricken with an eye-watering, choking cough that erupted with almost every breath. 2am found me on the floor in the bathroom struggling for air and crying. I was sure the trip was over for me. I crawled back into bed where even sitting straight up sleep managed to find me for a scant 3 hours. It was enough to ease a some of my anxiety but I was still plagued intermittently by choked off breathing accompanied by a profound sluggishness of body and soul; every movement was an effort.

Not a happy experience and the lung damage was a permanent, though not debilitating mild to moderate asthma. I don't get anxious about that anymore. I have meds and boxes of N95masks. The windows are kept shut, HVAC runs, and I'm spending most my day indoors.

Still, I'm finding life these days frustrating and uneasy at the same time. Frustrating because there are things I'd like to be doing outside especially as it is so cool, but the air quality dictates otherwise. Anxious because rain still has not come and so the surrounding forests of predominantly pine stand like Roman candles just waiting for a spark. The forest fire risk is extreme. And all I can do is be aware, be vigilant, and be careful about both air and fire.

I got this!

Monday, 5 June 2023

Monday Meander - June 5, 2023

I'm struggling to find any enthusiasm for kicking off my wagon into the first full week of June. Such inertia is fueled in no small part by the pall of forest fire smoke hanging in the air these days, all coming from Quebec and northern Ontario. Last night I could actually smell it and the full strawberry moon glowed a Halloween orange in the night sky.

This morning's forecasts are dominated by air quality statements with little chance of significant rain until perhaps the weekend.