Lavender breeze

More smoke today. There are currently nineteen large active wildfires in the Pacific NW. The Bolt Creek Fire is measured at 7660 acres, 2% contained. Firefighter crews are dropping water from helicopters, but haven't called in planes with fire-retardant chemicals because of the wind. More numbers from the Seattle Times: wildfires have burned more than 728,000 acres nationwide this year, mostly in the NW. Anyway, the wind should shift overnight, so that's promising for air quality in Seattle and Bellevue.

Went on a small walk this morning and saw a few remaining purple stems of lavender on the bushes along the road. A few browsing bees. Finished a well-written and enjoyable crime novel by Susie Steiner, a former writer for the Guardian, and was happy to find the titles of a couple more in the series - hooray! Also read some inspiring words from her about writing, about working at it, about not putting it off. Then I found her obituary. Sadly, she died in July at age 51. Very sad. Been thinking about that all afternoon.

A good take-out meal this evening (with a pertinent fortune cookie message) and a little less coughing. Time with Mom and stepdad Dave watching a 9-11 memorial. 

Hope the week ahead is good for all of you.