A not so quiet morning

Even ye socks who only know me thru my posts in the dryer are aware of the Saturday morning routine in this neck o' the woods.

Especially in the heat of summer, I like to get out to do the yard work before conditions become too intolerable.

Ok, maybe "like to" isn't quite accurate.

At any rate, I try to get out there and do quiet things like weeding, raking, pruning, etc., until about 8 o'clock. Then, I crank up the mower. Any earlier just wouldn't be neighborly, I suppose.

This morning, however, while I was busying myself with the quieter pursuits, the tranquility along Elizabeth Avenue was disturbed by one of the engines from the nearby fire station.

We are fairly accustomed to the comings and goings of our city firefighters around here. But, there was something odd about this morning's disruption to the peace and quiet we typically enjoy.

For some reason, the engine was emitting a long, slow siren as it practically inched down our little residential street. The only time I've ever seen something like that was when the driver was having a difficult time spotting a street number while responding to a call. But, that didn't appear to be the cause of the odd cruise this morning. The engine just continued crawling down to the foot of the street, and took a lackadaisical turn along the shore of Lake Ivanhoe, siren mournfully wailing the entire way.

I know there are a coupla firefighters who read these posts. So, what's up with this?

The incredible exploding candle

Well, ye socks, it's the weekend. And, that means weekend cleaning in this little corner of heaven.

On the advice of some friends, I decided to use a couple of new products.

The first was Counterop Magic for the avonite recently added in the kitchen and bathroom.

The second was Orange Glo for the hardwood floors.

Both did a great job, adding an awesome sheen to the surfaces in question.

My problem was the conflicting aromas of the two products. So, I lit a candle to "clear the air."

About 30 minutes later, as I was settling into my La-Z-Boy for the tail end of an NFL game and my weekly dose of Cold Case, a tremendous explosion rocked the house.

Okay, maybe that is a slight exaggeration.

I instantly knew the startling BOOM emanating from the kitchen had to be attributable to the candle, so I shot out of the easy chair like a cannon ball.

Good thing, too. The explosion had splattered hot wax and shards of glass all over the formerly pristine room.

And, what was worse, some of the wax was ON FIRE!

Full panic mode ensued. I grabbed a dishrag and swept all the remains on the countertop into the sink basin and flipped on the water. Then, I took the dampened cloth and began running around like a mad man to snuff-out the flames.

Suffice it to say, since I'm typing this, that all ended well. But, it was way too much excitement to end an otherwise enjoyable weekend . . . And, now I have all that wax to scrape!!!

Please, pray for rain!

And, for all the firefighters battling blazes over on the coast.

And, for all the homeowners over there who must be freaking out right now, worried about whether or not all their worldly possessions are going to be there tomorrow.

For ye out-of-town socks who may not be in tune with the situation down here, the governor has declared a state of emergency in Central Florida.

Recent high winds coupled with low humidity to transform all the pine and palmetto around this little corner of heaven into parched tinder.

The results have been horrific.

The local television coverage has been nothing short of gripping.

There are a lot of heroic folks over in Brevard and Volusia counties fighting those fires and trying to keep people and property safe.

I think the most compelling scene I saw tonight was the firefighters evacuating a crowd of screaming students from Bayside High School in Palm Bay.

The aerial shots of the fire-affected areas stretching along I-95 from Malabar to Daytona Beach are epic in proportion.

All of this brings back bad memories of our last rash of fires back in 1998. Ye local socks will recall that as the year of no fireworks on the 4th of July.

Anyway, I'll ask again for ye socks who do not live down here to do a rain dance or something.

Ye locals can help out in the same way, but also STAY AWAY from the burn areas so the fire fighters have all the room they need to battle the blazes. And, if you're one of the foolish few who still smoke, put your CIGGY BUTTS in the ASHTRAY instead of throwing them out the window!

I smell smoke!

This is the view of downtown Orlando commuters had on the East-West Expressway this morning.

No, it's not your typical morning fog.

That's smoke!

Evidently, the hot and dry conditions down in this little corner of heaven have produced a rash of wildfires. And, even if they're many miles away, we still have to contend with the smoke.

I could smell it as soon as I opened the front door of ye olde Lake Hammer chalet this morning.

Kinda gross.

Let's all do a rain dance or something . . .

Where's Smokey the Bear when you need him?

All the smoke around here from the Georgia forest fires is wreaking havoc with my allergies.

I feel like my sinuses are going to explode.

Think I'm going to call it an early night and hope for better tomorrow.

uggggghhhh

Is it "SMOKY" or "SMOKEY" ?!

I don't know what the proper spelling is.

But I do know that it is smoky/smokey down here in Florida today!

Seems they've got a huge fire burning . . . way up in Waycross, GEORGIA!

Must be a real inferno for the smoke to be reaching all the way down to these parts.

Hack. Hack. Sputter. Sputter. Cough. Wheez!!