I woke up this morning, actually this afternoon when my sweetie called me on the phone. I looked out the window and it was dark so I fell back to sleep but only for a few minuets because I realized that she had called before she went to work and it must have been past noon....... it was.

The fires and the Santa Anna winds had come during the night and now in the middle of a sunny day the sky was dark ......... filled with smoke.

I went outside to discover everything covered in ash and the gate blown down... not blown open BLOWN DOWN. The smoke so thick that it took only a very short time for my eyes to begin to burn and still the wind blows..... The fires are not that close so its nothing to worry about but this really sucks. Cant breath outside and still the wind howls. Gusts and then calm... its very strange, it will be blowing 50 60 mph one second and silence the next. it's very eerie, fitting for Halloween I suppose. Its like it just jumps up and smacks you in the back, knocks you 4 or 5 feet in one direction and then its gone.

I kinda brings new meaning to the term "this blows"

Hopefully things will settle down tomorrow and I can start picking up some of the roof shingles, assorted lawn ornaments and Halloween decorations.

All and all its been a crappy day. I can only imagine how it is for the people near and in the fires.