Hi all: Yes, it is rather miserable up here right now. Last weekend, we had a widespread series of thunderstorms that started several hundred fires from lightning strikes (this, of course, after some fool humans started fires in the Santa Cruz area!). For a hundred miles on all sides of us, there are fires burning right now. For some reason, known but to the Goddess, Mt. Shasta area has so far escaped this problem, although it is very smoky here at times. We are getting a lot of the people from surrounding areas, including tourists who can't get to their campgrounds and lakes.

That said, thunderheads are beginning to pile up this afternoon, and we are expecting storms this weekend. Maybe they'll bring a little rain--but holding my breath. All of us up here are very nervous--and I hate to think of the devastation that is occurring to our beautiful forests and the animals who live in them.

Record hot temperatures too---I won't get into the global warming thing, but everybody up here is convinced of it. Our mountain is nearly bare of snow, the wells are going dry and we're burning!

So far, I'm fine and hoping for the best.

Thank you for wondering!

Cheers (I hope) Penny