Home Alone Day 20: Windshield Wiping

Cleaning the windshield of our Hyundai

For the first time since John left (and hopefully for the last time for a while) I am cleaning the windshield of our faithful silver chariot, otherwise known as Hyundai Accent. The accumulating dirt made driving into the sun during mornings and evenings rather difficult. Based on my husband’s comments in the past I didn’t think I had enough arm length and upper body strength to use that squeegee thingy properly, but in the end, I did a decent enough job.

Fire Scars the Sky

Smoke from a local wildfire turns the sky reddish brown over Santa Barbara, California

Before leaving Santa Barbara, California, nearby wildfires raged for days, burning over 80,000 acres. The smoke closed major freeways while high winds whipped the fire into a land-eating frenzy. On this day, the air smelled heavy of burnt wood, ash-covered cars, plants, and homes. People walked the beach with respirators, and the sun’s rays barely pierced the thick haze. I waited for a breeze to clear the air or an earthquake to shake the fire to its knees while the palm trees stood a silent vigil, waiting for the blue skies to return.