The wind shifts ceaselessly in this year dominated by out-of-control forest fires that fire fighting crews are working 14-hour-days in ongoing efforts to bring them under control in Ontario and Quebec at our central placement in the vastness of Canada where almost every province has its own problem with these blazes consuming huge tracts of forest. For weeks the smoke from the fires has drifted from Canadian skies to our neighbours' to the south. Now parts of Europe are experiencing the acridity, but there it's high enough as it drifts not to present too much of a pollution problem further down at ground level.

 

For the past several days while we had heavy rain events with ongoing thunderstorms the air quality was deemed to be 'fair'. And it was also cool. In between these 'fair', rainy days, we get the occasionally sunny, warmer day and we can see the haze and smell the acridity. Today we've been warned that the threat level from particulate matter floating on the atmosphere is high and dangerous for select groups of people. We're in that category, given our age of 86, but when we're outside we haven't experienced any breathing difficulties.

 

Yesterday when it was cool and threatening rain I used our push-mower to cut our postage-stamp lawn in the backyard. Today, quite a bit warmer and sunnier, Irving cut the front lawn with the electric mower. It was too hot, the air quality too compromised, so it was an exhausting exercise. 

 

 

He also stopped in at one of the Dollar stores that carries gardening supplies and bought three really stout bamboo poles and two packages of three long and slender bamboo stakes. I used them this afternoon for the three clematis vines that managed to survive last fall's new fence being installed. They can no longer climb the fence since it's not wood, but a kind of vinyl material, so the stakes are perfect.

 

 

In deference to the polluted air warnings, we decided not to stay out long when we took Jackie and Jillie out to the ravine for their daily romp through the trails. So once again, as we did yesterday we mapped out a much shorter circuit, which took us alongside the creek and also the forest pollinating meadow. We're seeing many more bees about now, concentrating on their pollen collection, lingering at the ample number of blossoms that will become thimbleberries, blackberries and elderberries.