The last couple of years have been very bad for fires. They have affected people that I know and also have had a very bad effect on air quality here in California.

Several things are making me think of fires.

First is the Poor Air Quality from the smoky air that we have this weekend. I have spent most of the day just sheltering in place as today we have smoke at ground level.

In August earlier this year we also had a lot of smoke from fires north of the Bay Area. It was not so good on my allergies, and it is the same now as my eyes are a bit affected.

I am also getting close to the end of my Hank the Cowdog challenge to read all the books in order.

This means that I will again read The Case of the Monster Fire which is about wildfires that hit Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas last year and burnt much of the county in Kansas where I went to High School.

Several of the Hank the Cowdog books talk about fires as this is a major concern of farmers and ranchers in the Great Plains region.

I am also having memories of the prairie fire in The Little House on the Prairie which would have been a similar type fire.

I am just glad that we have great men and women dedicated to putting out fires. We all need to thank our firefighters.

Keep the California firefighters in your prayers as they battle the many fires here. Also, the people whose homes are affected.

Steven