The Gathering Storm

[Hekate]

65. Hubby and I are back in our house; but the fire spread to the next county and our kids ...

...are evacuated. Our son wants to return to his house immediately, but our daughter took her kids down the coast to relatives for better air.

The fire is a monster -- Right now its progression seems to be in abeyance in the Santa Barbara area, but the Santa Ana winds are up again, which is always bad.

Our house here in Ventura, miraculously, is unhurt. The oak out back has burn marks on the trunk facing the house, but it is 150 to 200 years old and has doubtless survived brush fires before this. It's my first oak tree, so I'm trying to remember what I know about California oaks and fire. I think what kills them is crown fires. Well, that and infestations.

Whole neighborhoods have been wiped out not far away, and we lost just one house in ours. The hillsides surrounding us are burned over, landscaping has sustained relatively minor damage in every yard -- but I think the avocado farm down the hill is probably okay because they stay well-watered. The bird-of-paradise flower farm down the hill is completely burned over, truck a twisted skeleton, an outbuilding gone too, but perhaps the plants can grow back from the roots because they are so hardy. I hope so.

It's been stressful and I am still worried about my kids, but we are fine.