Category: urban fires

Hot, Hot, Hot

Posted in books, California, climate change, defensible space, dogs, fires, humidity, ice cream, Jack Russell terrier, memoir, Paradise, power outage, Santa Rosa, urban fires2 Comments

(re=run from 2019) 102 degrees outside.  Fires are burning in both Northern and Southern California. The once late-summer fire season is now happening in June. California heat is dry heat, low humidity, good for your hair, bad for fire. Four weeks ago we had rain.  Then an explosion of pollen. Then a slow start to… Continue reading Hot, Hot, Hot

Dealing with Duff

Posted in beach, beach house, duff, fire prevention, fires, forest, gardening, insurance, memoir, Santa Cruz, urban fires, urban wildlife interface, woodsLeave a comment

What is duff, you ask? It’s decaying vegetable matter covering the ground under trees.  It’s what burns in a wild fire. It’s especially thick under evergreen trees because those pine needles build up and don’t necessarily get raked up like obvious leaves do. Insurance companies want those of us who live in California to get… Continue reading Dealing with Duff