Heritage Oak

Oak trees are a common sight here, and I'm pleased that this beauty which is just across the street from us wasn't damaged in the fire and has been beautifully trimmed and 'opened up' to allow wind to flow through it instead blowing it down. I've always liked oak branches for their twisty character.

A red flag fire alert has been declared for today which means that hot, dry conditions with high winds have been predicted. It is certainly hot and dry, but so far there's been very little wind to blow away the smoke from numerous fires to the north of us. Fire season is always oppressive, but the smoke does a lot to make the possibilities seem more probable.
The best defense is to stay home and stay indoors which is exactly what I have done today. 

I don't understand what it is about playing Sudoku on his phone that so fascinates John, but he says he loves it, so I tend to leave him to  what must be his ten thousandth round and beyond while I indulge in my own obsession which is making quilts. I have now assembled all the fabrics I need for a quilt for our bed and spent the afternoon quite happily cutting dozens of 3 inch squares, and listening to a podcast called 'If Books Could Kill'. 

A gay man and a straight lawyer discuss a book called Liberal Fascism by conservative Jonah Goldberg. Their conclusion is that he created his premise first, and then cherry picked the facts to support it and ignored the ones that refute it. It goes a long way in getting into the minds of conservatives, how they think, (or don't), and how it has gotten us into the huge political divide that has more or less crippled our government.

I'm sure John is questioning my sanity....