Thursday, January 8, 2009

Life Burns...and Chills

Have you heard about the wildfires threatening Boulder? To my knowledge, this is the first winter fire we've had in decades...this is usually a summer thing, when it's hot and dry, and the Chinook winds come roaring through. But we've had a lot of trucker-style winds this past week...they were clocked at 90 mph up in Nederland, where Daughter #2 lives. I took her back home on Monday, up through the canyon, and the wind was literally shoving our Jeep Cherokee toward the edge of the curves. I had to concentrate hard to keep it on the road.

The wind has died down some, which means that the helicopters can come in and drop retardant...but more than 1,000 acres, plus at least four homes, have burned already. The situation's improved some, though. Read more about it here:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/01/08/america/NA-US-Boulder-Wildfires.php

I'm not trying to trivialize things -- it really is scary there. And many people, along with their animals, have been forced to evacuate. It's just that compared to the California wildfires, the Boulder conflagration really does not seem that big a deal. I know -- for those who are going through it, it is.
* * * * * * *

I double-checked on Amazon, and some of the 75% off-Hickory Farms gift packs are still available. So I bought sets for both girlies. They'll find a treat in their mailboxes in about a week.

My mom called today -- they got their box from Hickory Farms, and she had difficulty hefting it! She excitedly listed the items in the gift pack, then in true maternal form, fussed about whether we could afford it. I said, "Ma, since when has your daughter gotten something like this when it wasn't on sale?" Then she calmed down a bit.

Both Husband and Yours Truly seem to be flirting with a cold...the Michigan relatives were sniffing and sneezing, so it was probably inevitable. We're planning on spending a few nights soon in the Oxford, an old Denver hotel, to celebrate our 27th anniversary. It may be a "sleep in and rest up" trip. We watched the championship football game tonight -- was so hoping Oklahoma could beat Florida, but alas. It was a terrific game, though!

No comments:

Monday Stuff On the way to Other Stuff: Meltdown

     The nice thing about Colorado is that we have these horrendous snowstorms -- and within a few days, they're melting off -- fast. Al...