God: "How Many Warnings Do I Have to Send You?"

Today's fishwrap [the late great Herb Caen's phrase--and he worked for them] headline is about the more-than-300 wildfires burning in our once-paradisiacal State (alas, Paradise was destroyed two years ago).

In the most environmentally-conscious state of the Union--home to the Sierra Club founded by the racist John Muir--the air quality is now the worst in the world: [bold added]

Wildfire smoke cast hazy red skies over the Bay Area on Wednesday, creating a seriously unhealthy atmosphere and adding to the region’s pandemic-heightened anxiety. Ash fell over many counties. Kids locked out of school remained shuttered indoors. Families evacuated homes.

Atmospheric testing revealed Northern California’s air quality to be the worst in the world.

Smoke from multiple fires polluted the air, sparking a renewed concern for residents with respiratory issues, including those suffering from COVID.

Here in Foster City the good news is that the out-of-control fires in San Mateo County are 40 miles distant, on the other side of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The bad news is that, if people in our County are suffering, we all suffer at least indirectly.

While San Mateo County's crime and homelessness problems aren't as bad as San Francisco's, we are afflicted plenty with COVID-19, unemployment, school and business closures, the recent heat wave, and power failures. And now, lightning, the wildfires, and polluted air.

Quote of the Day: “At this point, I’m waiting for the plague of locusts to come.”

The fight against the coronavirus sent their businesses outside.

Then swirling ash and acrid smoke from wildfires kept their customers indoors.

Restaurateurs, fitness trainers and other business owners across the Bay Area wondered where they were supposed to serve people, as one crisis made indoor service illegal and another made the outdoors untenable.

Sweltering conditions prevailed Wednesday as what the National Weather Service called the worst extended heat wave since 1913 blasted the region. Lightning-sparked blazes lit up the area, combining into fire complexes that sent pillars of smoke billowing into the skies, choking the air.

“At this point, I’m waiting for the plague of locusts to come,” said Wendy Klein, who started Nandi Yoga in 2008 in San Mateo.

I would join the caravans leaving the area and the State permanently if I had any brains or if I was from a more religious upbringing that believed that God was trying to tell me something.

What next? The Big One? 2020 has over four months to go....