This was an original post for LA Moms Blog on November 15, 2008. SV Moms Group was acquired by Technorati so I post my archives here on Fridays. This post was written after wildfires broke out very close to where we used to live.
Here’s a big public “thank you” to everyone who called or emailed to ask if we are okay. We live in Northridge, far enough from any brush or hillsides to be threatened in a fire. However, we’re smack in the middle of the valley, where the smoke and ash sweep in, blocking out the sun and settling in drifts on every surface.
Because it’s Saturday and my husband was working, I had the whole day with my two boys under 4 stretching out before me. You all know how keeping that mix of people inside all day is good for nobody. Around 1:30PM the kids were running aimlessly through the house, resisting my attempts at organized play, flinging toys and slamming into each other. I had to get them out for a break. On any other hot day I would just open the back door, strip them of their clothing, and turn on the hose. But on this day, with the air so dangerous, I had to get them out and away.
In Los Angeles you have to make plans way in advance to see people who live “over the hill.” None of my friends with kids who live in clearer air was available, and I hate taking both kids out by myself. They’re at the ages where one runs one away and the other runs in the opposite direction, making me crazier than ever. Forget about the beach. The toddler tries to enter the waves like some kind of ocean sprite while the preschooler repeats “watch me! watch me! watch me!” until I go insane. Luckily, a good single friend came to our rescue and offered to be my backup at Griffith Park. We all ventured out to Shane’s Inspiration playground and played happily for at least an hour.
And then I saw it – the smoke poking its tendrils up over the edge of the hills as the sun set behind them. Around 4:45PM, the air started taking on that campfire smell, empty of charm because of what I could imagine were its contents. I realized that if I wanted to escape the pollution, I would have had to stage a much larger operation. I was tired, the boys were hungry, and we only had two diapers with us in the car.
My husband worked in Orange County today, in an industrial building with a ventilation system that sucks air into the indoors. He stayed all day, then drove two hours through flaming hills and traffic-choked freeways. When he got home to join me and the children, he was gray. I swiped a finger along his cheek – it came away black.
The best we can do now is to shut ourselves inside with the air conditioner on. Tomorrow we’ll flee again for clearer air to breathe for a while, and I’ll pack extra diapers, just in case.
Leave a Reply