Environment Canada gave us a weather heads-up yesterday advising that the temperature for Sunday would register 30C, and we'd smell the return of that acrid odour from wildfires in Ontario and Quebec, and to expect hazy conditions. They were right and they were wrong, but not in that order. The high for the day turned out to be a tolerable 25C with a nice cooling breeze, but the smoke-haze returned with a vengeance as did the smell of hovering acridity.

 

The air quality index which is usually 3 to 5 in our area during normal times, was at 22 today, with the warning of "health risk". Definitely a problem for people with compromised health, but even those who are healthy, warned the bulletin, could be susceptible to feeling ill effects from the compromised atmosphere. Recommendation that people remain indoors. If required to be outdoors, make it for as short a period as possible, and without physical exertion.

 

So the big question between us today has been 'should we, or shouldn't we'? Jackie and Jillie chimed in with 'why not'??!!! When they sensed the time approaching and when we usually prepare for our venture into the ravine for a hike through the forest trails, they became alert and expectant. 

Irving and I had plenty to do today. And so we puttered the hours away until afternoon. We'd taken our time at breakfast, going through those parts of yesterday's newspapers that we hadn't already read. We had oranges and bananas for breakfast, then breakfast sausages and waffles. I'd let the waffle iron get too hot, distracted and not noticing the control was set at 'high', not the 'medium' I usually use, so it was finicky business separating the batter from the irons, until it occurred to me that I wasn't paying attention.

 

When we finally decided we'd go out with the puppies, we were both a little taken aback at the deep level of the all-encompassing haze that confronted us on the street. Our times in the backyard earlier in the day hadn't prepared us for that. No haze was noticeable in the back, although the acrid odour was inescapable. The atmosphere was grey with haze, and the sun was doing its best to penetrate the haze, largely unsuccessfully.

 

But off we went, up our quiet street to speedily access the ravine entrance. And as soon as we descended the first hill into the ravine, the haze receded; barely noticeable in the forest. Until one looked up, past the tree canopy into the sky to get a glimpse of the sun now and again, behind the haze. It was throwing an orange light wherever it penetrated the tree canopy, that glanced oddly off the trail and tree trunks.

 

Still, at our level, everything looked fairly clear. And it felt perfect for striding through the trails; not too hot at all, the breeze making its way through the forest cooling us. The mosquitoes weren't abundant but for several places where they were their usual nuisance selves. Jackie and Jillie were content to be out, happily sniffing here and there, and looking out for the presence of any of their friends; as it happened, none.

 

Neither of us felt stricken even lightly by the smoke conditions and the diminished air quality. We've had other occasions when we were definitely deleteriously affected by poor air quality, finding it difficult to maintain energy levels to our usual condition, when we stayed over for several days in downtown Toronto. Torontonians-born-and-bred, it's changed mightily since our youth. 

Living in a less populous, green-park city like Ottawa has pampered our lungs with fine air quality. We can certainly empathize with the plight of people living much closer to the areas suffering through wildfires throughout much of Canada, at this time.