Canada has wildfires burning in our three western provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and our home province, Saskatchewan . The northern forests are ablaze and communities near the fires have been evacuated. The much-needed rains in those areas aren’t materializing.

Forest fires happen every year. Some years are worse than others, depending on the weather conditions at the time. We know that fire from natural causes, such as lightning, is needed for natural reforestation to happen.

Arson has been suspected in some of the current fires. This is something I can never wrap my head around. Nature is one thing, but acts of carelessness or deliberation are quite another.

Yesterday, the winds brought the smoke here, and I’ve heard from friends as far away as Iowa, that the smoke has reached their communities. We live hundreds of miles from the fires, and I was surprised that it was so bad here, far less travelled that far.

Needless to say, my walks, which I resumed a couple of weeks ago, are on hold until the air clears.

Photo Note: My feature photo is a screenshot of a segment of a drone video my friend’s son shot and posted to Facebook (Photo Credit: Dallas Burnett). I then resized it and edited for clarity. This isn’t the best way to get quality photos, but it gives you an idea of the air here these days.

“No time to grieve for roses when the
forests are burning.”

Zbigniew Herbert