So hot we're on fire

 View of the smoke from the fires SW of Tecumseh 

Unfortunately we still are having a lot of hot spots and such. Over the last few days Oklahoma has had more than it's share of wildfires  and several were out of control. They couldn't receive help from outside states because they have their own emergencies going on and are unable to help. One thing I think a lot of people discovered during this was that the news channels just aren't covering it. I've heard a LOT of frustration coming from people who wanted to know what was going on currently, families that are displaced and don't know if their homes are okay or if they can go to check on them, etc. One thing I did find though was a good place to keep up with it a bit better than what the media offered. Online scanner Just follow the link and click on the county that you want to listen to. I've found a lot of times the media portrays it as the fires are out or the area is safe to go back to but the scanner says otherwise. Firemen are still battling hot spots and flare ups and are exhausted. The families posting in the comments on facebook are saying the same thing that the media may report an area as being safe to return to but when they try to go in to check on their homes etc it is actually not safe to go to or you can't even get to it because of road closings. The night before last the smell of smoke was so thick it was difficult to breathe and we are actually not that close to the Cleveland Co. fire. Smoke could be smelled by my friends who live a lot farther away as well. It has now set off my allergies pretty severe and I am having trouble today. Can't breathe, runny nose, coughing, sneezing. (Soon to go pick up some medicine) The fire fighters are in need of gatoraid and water still as well as nutritious snacks that are quick/easy to eat and yet the news channels aren't saying much except on facebook it seems though there are plenty of pages and people who are keeping the support going strong thankfully. (Contact your local red cross or community action centers to see where you can donate money, water, gatoraide, food, and other supplies I may try and post a list of needed supplies and some donation spots in my next blog) We will continually be in danger of fire until the drought is relieved some by rain. That is another thing something a lot of people don't think about is some of the local lakes are so low that people can't even put their boats in or get to them. There is water rationing in several communities including my own. We are on level 2 so far. (Watering on Mon or Tues depending on house number..odd or even...and only for 4 hours on those days.) We may soon hit level 3 which decreases it to two hours. I think after that there is no outdoor watering. The lake levels are dropping rapidly and usage is going up. OG&E has also put the request out that people try to keep their electric usage to more of a minimum and has stated that they are likely to break megawatt usage soon. Conserve electric There aren't many chances for rain coming up and the ones that are in the future are very small. We topped several records for heat and have been running between 105-110 (with a few 111 to 113 days in there) When we had a cool front come through and it got down to 85 one night I was surprised to find I actually got cold. I am curious what our winter holds for us. Some are forecasting a colder wetter than normal winter...I still kind of think it will be like last winter. Warmer than usual and very dry. Hoping I am wrong. While warm winters feel nice they don't make for good summers. Don't want dry either. We need the moisture as does most of the US. drought monitor.
On a brighter note I thought watching NASA land the Curiosity on Mars was actually pretty interesting. Seeing the scientists broke a lot of ideals of what a scientist looks like which I also thought was cool. :) I think it brought back an interest in NASA a bit too which was kinda cool as well. I know I've never seen so much excitement packed into one room. :) Anyway off for now but may continue this later.