It Begins…

High Winds + Warmer Temps + Long drought = Wildfire

The Etiwanda Fire appears to be the first of the season.

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Looks like we’re going to have a long fire season.

Nothing much to do but make sure that you have a bugout kit.

This particular fire isn’t too big a deal to us on this side of the mountain, some folks in the foothills above Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario have been evacuated

This does serve as a reminder that all of us need defensible space around our homes. Take out the dead brush and make sure that you have your evacuation plans and rally points well defined so that you & your loved ones can meet if you get separated.

Lots of folks left for work this morning and they’ll find they can’t get home tonight due to mandatory evacuations.

If you have friends in the evacuation areas, you might try giving them a call. I’ll be making some phone calls a bit later to offer my guest room to friends.

As of this time, there’s no air support because the winds are too high for the aircraft to take off.

Be Safe

Public opinion and the NBA

Sterling Banned from the NBA over private racist comments??? Say What?

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While it’s not an excuse, he is an old man. He was probably raised steeped in racism.

When we discuss a kid who carjacks someone amid a hail of gunfire, we say “The poor kid. He’s a product of his environment.

However when a rich white man makes comments in private we refuse to see that he is as much a product of his environment as the carjacking kid. What’s the difference? The white guy is supposed to know better?

When these events become public we demand punishment, we deprive the rich man of income, we sanction him, and force him to sell his property (in this case a franchise).

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Hell I remember separate water fountains, bathrooms, and diner counters that were off limits to any person of color. I’m 30 some odd years younger than Mr Sterling. There’s that old hackneyed saying about Old dogs & new tricks. Perhaps that’s a bit true.

I’m not suggesting that what  he said was acceptable.

The violation of his privacy was, to my mind more unacceptable. The news media running with the story, ginning up anger and public outcry is flat out wrong.

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The players and the team should be thankful that Sterling isn’t a scorched earth kind of guy.

He can’t do it now, but at the outset of all this insanity he could have fired the Clippers staff, then he could have fired the players. Effectively killing the team before the NBA had a chance to step in.

I don’t follow basketball. I honestly don’t enjoy it and don’t see the point. The after game interviews are nonsensical and I’ve got better things to do with my time.

What caught my attention was the manner in which everything came crashing down on Mr. Sterling.  How many federal cases has he been involved in over racist behavior? You know, refusing to rent to non-white people because they weren’t white?

Only NOW because a private conversation was publicized has the NBA decided it was important to punish this guy?

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It wasn’t about him actually being demonstrably racist in a public venue.

It was about him being perceived as racist.

If this is becomes the norm, we’re seriously screwed because this heralds the death of free speech.

Weird weather

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70ºF One day and Snow the next.

On the other hand I am glad to have the rain, even if it turns into snow late at night.

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The dogs like it too. But they don’t really like having to pose for photos. Hence the nose and face in shadow.

I was hoping for a really long storm. It would have been nice to have the water and I’ll admit I’d have liked to have seen the wash flood.

I like the sound of rushing water especially if it’s reshaping the wash to it’s natural contours and filling in the gaping ravine that the flood control district created.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the Grand Canyon, the one in Arizona. But the one behind my house is a really bad imitation.

Nonetheless, I don’t think I’ll be hearing the rushing of water anytime soon. All the predictions say that this year is going to be dryer than the previous couple years.

Time to rework the sprinkler system to drip water so that I can at least preserve the raspberries, blackberries & grapes. The landscaping in the front yard is mostly desert stuff so thankfully I don’t have to worry about it too much. 

I was planning on a vegetable garden this year, but given the drought conditions I’m rethinking that. I don’t know if the cost of water would exceed the cost of the vegetables I’d be able to grow. I suspect it would once the drought conditions get worse. 

Some places in California are already sending out the “Water Police” looking for wasteful people. I’m sure that Rationing is next and that we’ll see water prices shoot up along with penalty surcharges for any baseline overages.

It’s going to be a long dry summer.