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20240729_173945

it was Typepad last night.   Just  "wouldn't"   and  i  gave up and went to sleep.

but i'm in the same place today.   These numbers are from Sunday morning.  They have changed but not significantly.    This fire is the largest active blaze in the United States.    It is expected to burn            several more weeks,  if not months     sometimes expanding  5,000 acres an hour.   It began in Chico,  where Jenny lives.  Often  "weather"  she has,  moves to S. Oroville where Alyssia lives and then over here,  East Oroville,  the Hill.   It could have come here but the wind blew North and we were spared.    There are 4,000 firefighters.   There are 4,400 people under  evacuation orders within Butte County,  my county.    More than 8,000 in Butte and Tehama counties together.   That's   order.   Warnings are another story.    The Watch Duty app  pings  over and over all day,   updating these numbers,  updating  "your" particular place by  the map.   What else should i say here?     to make a point.    ?   the word   inferno.      I can say     birds burn in flight.  

before i moved here i didn't think much of California.   California to me  meant Hollywood,   LA.  Berkeley.    to a New Mexican,  well….   I had no clue what a large part of this state IS…VAST ELEGANT WILDLANDS .  pure and untouched.   It is incredibly Beauty FULL…it is beyond incredibly Beauty FULL.   and this is  climate   Crisis.    it burns.   …,

Fire has come nearby.   It burned the town of Paradise.  it has burned even more nearby in  small  wildland fires.  I can drive to see that land,  in maybe 10 minutes.   But not like this…not so     complete.   VAST swaths of forest.   and i am finding myself lost in the wondering about that.   At some point,  all will become still.  It will be over.    There will be a silence.   something more than a silence.    and then

things will Begin Again.

i am looking for  the        science    of this.     What?,  exactly    happens?     What is     first      to animate?,   to "come to life""   How does that happen?    i want the SCIENCE of it    because in that science,  there is the story.   of   Beginning Again.   

so…if you come across things you read or hear about this…please let me know.   I'm limited to how much i can search.   I will be grateful.  

 

 

 

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18 responses to “or”

  1. Nancy Avatar
    Nancy

    Grace~ I send my heart on over to you in this moment. The fire news is beyond. I check on loved ones and big or new fires…mourning. The Borel Fire, Kern County…near the area I camped with my ex – as a teen. Every year recently, places I love are changed drastically.
    Of course in considering Fire, I think things may not go as in this show, but I am Always reminded of this when I see old structures with earth taking over, taking back the land.
    xoxo
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_After_People

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  2. Marti Avatar
    Marti

    Coming here and seeing a new post, sigh of temporary relief. So many fires across the country, in Canada. Jenny is in Chico, you and Alyssia, Emrie, Julian, etc. are in Oroville, and you are not far from Paradise. When I read yesterday that fire has again come to Paradise, evacuations, etc. my heart contracted. How it must be to hold onto each day in a state of alert and readiness. To live in a beautiful, wild and expansive place is not without cost, at times. Lightning, climate change causing fires is one thing; that a person caused the Park fire is a whole other thing and simply, incomprehensible…
    In researching how forests come back from devastating fires: Found this link, may it give you some of the science that you seek: Interestingly, the first sentence begins with a firefighter in New Mexico! I am putting some of the info here.
    From the link:
    “The natural pattern of recovery after a wildfire is referred to as “ecological succession.” This is the process whereby the land, plants and wildlife move through various ecological stages in order to return to a state of relative stability. It’s like hitting the “reset” button on the life cycle of a forest.”
    The Stages of Succession
    Ephemerals
    The first plants to move into the new bare ground after a wildfire are wildflowers or “weeds.” These fast-germinating, leafy herbaceous plants are also known as “forbs” or “ephemerals.” They quickly germinate, grow and produce a new crop of seeds.
    Grasses
    Next, the grasses move in. Because grasses can withstand summer dry spells, and forbs cannot, they soon begin to replace most of the forbs. The grasses’ root systems allow them to become dormant during extended drought. Forbs, on the other hand, can only survive drought as seeds; they must sprout again whenever rains return. With each repetition of a drought cycle, grasses cover more ground. Eventually, they prevent the forbs from re-establishing themselves.
    Pioneer Trees
    The next species to appear are called “pioneer trees.” These are scubby, slow-growing trees that are unpalatable to livestock. They’re able to mature at significantly reduced sizes in arid, nutrient-poor soils, under harsh conditions.
    Some common pioneer tree species include red cedar, alder, black locust, most pines and larches, yellow poplar and aspen.
    Once these trees begin to germinate and establish themselves, the existing grassland begins to recede. Individual trees spread above the grasses and start to shade them out. Before long, the pioneer trees are rampant.
    Scub Canopy
    As the scrub trees become dominant, their crowns begin to form a thick canopy. In fact, it’s not unusual for a single aggressive species of tree (such as mesquite or juniper) to predominate for years. The grasses underneath are shaded almost entirely out of existence. The scrub canopy lays down a thick layer of needles or leaves to produce mulch and, eventually, soil. By the time they have matured (which can take 40 years or more), the scrub trees have produced a layer of relatively rich, crumbly topsoil under a mulch of forest litter.
    With continuous cover, the forest soil will now be shaded and cool, and humidity within the environment is increased.
    Climax Forest Begins
    With these more hospitable conditions, taller trees and vines begin to move in. They could not have survived in the harsher environment which the scrub trees prefer. But thanks to the enhanced soil and air created by the scrub forest, the taller trees are soon thriving. They’ll eventually shade out the older, shorter, slower-growing scrub.
    Once that occurs, then a “climax” forest has begun to form. At this point, the woodland is returning to a steady state of relative stability, and is on its way to becoming a mature forest.”
    *****THE ARTICLE CONTAINS MUCH MORE INFO BUT THIS IS A START. LINK BELOW:
    https://www.frontlinewildfire.com/wildfire-news-and-resources/how-forest-recovers-wildfire/

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  3. CatherinE Avatar
    CatherinE

    The news about the fire is heartbreaking. Too terrifying for me to absorb and yet you live with it nearby every day. (((Grace))) I used to live in Napa 1978-81. We traveled around northern California quite a bit – it is so beautiful and wild.

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  4. Tina Avatar
    Tina

    Grace so happy that so far so good .. that is good news. It is still with overwhelming sadness that I see and hear the news .. I honestly just cannot imagine. So much loss of land .. homesteads!!! Heartbreaking!!

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  5. hermosa Avatar
    hermosa

    Dear Grace, I’m in southern Oregon and know well just what you are living with. Fire rules our every awareness from June thru October. Zeke Lunder, has educated me so I can better understand all the parts that have gotten us to Now. He’s from Chico. I highly recommend his website and his youtube for daily in depth updates and insights.
    well wishes,
    hermosa
    https://the-lookout.org

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  6. grace Forrest Avatar
    grace Forrest

    this is a great link….different than what i have in mind right now, but i’ll keep it written down…Thank You
    for sending

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  7. grace Forrest Avatar
    grace Forrest

    thank you SO much for all this…yes…it’s the thing i’m
    hoping to find…i’d like more as i go…each has it’s
    own variation and nuance…
    Thank you so much, Marti

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  8. grace Forrest Avatar
    grace Forrest

    it is and i had NO IDEA prior to showing up here. i’m
    glad you know what it is.
    i think i’ve said the before…when Jenny and Alyssia
    were considering buying the Hill…the real estate blurb
    in regard to insurance, clearly stated NO concerns…
    other than the usual. That was 7 years ago. Things have
    changed so drastically…????

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  9. grace Forrest Avatar
    grace Forrest

    yes…there’s really no way anyone COULD imagine

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  10. grace Forrest Avatar
    grace Forrest

    Oh, Hello!!!! and thank you so much for your words….i will
    check him out this evening after A brings me new batteries…
    will say more after that
    My heart to you as you Be within this BeautyFULL part of
    the Planet

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  11. Nancy Avatar
    Nancy

    Hi Hermosa! Yes, he is so knowledgable! I’ve learned so much this year.
    I also check out these:
    https://www.youtube.com/@KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking
    https://www.youtube.com/@HoltHanley
    So much information being shared.
    (((hugs)))

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  12. grace Forrest Avatar
    grace Forrest

    beyond EXCELLENT!!!!! thank you SO SO much!

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  13. grace Forrest Avatar
    grace Forrest

    i’ll go there now. Yes. information. share.
    this is the Beauty of it all. Sharing. How it IS.

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  14. deanna7trees Avatar
    deanna7trees

    I haven’t read blogs in a very long time but hearing about the fires in California I have come to your blog to make sure you were all ok. It is a devastating situation and I’m hoping it all ends soon.
    Always thinking about you and your family and wishing you all to be safe.
    Take good care, deanna

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  15. Dana Avatar
    Dana

    I, too, have been worried about you and your family as the Park fire burns on and on. I am so glad to hear that you are okay for now. The tension of living in such a volatile place must be so exhausting.

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  16. grace Forrest Avatar
    grace Forrest

    DEANNA!!!! SO great to find you here! we are ok. i
    wish you would tell about YOU!
    Love and Love

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  17. grace Forrest Avatar
    grace Forrest

    well…it’s where i am. so, how? How. I need to learn.

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  18. deanna7trees Avatar
    deanna7trees

    I’m doing good, Grace. I still spend my days doing all kinds of crafts.. I meet with a quilting group once a week. And I’m back into minimal gardening although it’s difficult now that the temperatures are getting to over 100 every day. I love going out to my backyard at 7am when the temperature is tolerable to get in my morning walk. Life is good.
    Take good care,
    deanna

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