a summer flurry

every once in a while, something in this town catches on fire and then seems to burn forever. Today, I walked outside my house and was greeted by this sight:



It seemed pretty far away so I didn't think too much of it and went about my chores of looking for a file cabinet and some new hinges for the kitchen cabinets.

But when I came out of the Staples and unlocked my car, I realized that it was covered in a fine, white dust. I looked up and saw that the air was filled with this same small, white dust, falling gently all over the parking lot. And it kind of reminded me of my home in upstate New York, where I'd walk out to find my car gently kissed by snow, the air crisp and clean. Only now it was about 90 degrees and I was inhaling ash and smog, somewhere deep in the valley.