Author Archives: oregonmikeruby

Having Grasped at Straws, They Slip Through His Fingers Starting with a more local/regional topic, we had our first gullywasher of a storm for this winter. The highlands got about a foot of snow, and the lowlands got pounded with rain. Any fire activity that might remain in my region would be limited to smolderingContinue reading “Covid Journal: 275 days in (182 protest nights), Fire Day 71”

The Never-ending Election, or It Ain’t Over Till the Fat Cheeto Leaves 270 days. Nine months. Children conceived at the start of lockdown are now being born as we head into what is likely to be the darkest winter humans have seen in a century or so. Still, despite the darkness, or perhaps more visibleContinue reading “Covid Journal: 270 days in (177 protest nights), Fire Day 66”

Lockdown: Everybody knows it’s right, nobody cares Here is what car traffic looks like during the third wave of the most devastating (numbers-wise) global pandemic ever. This is from my admittedly limited point of view. Mornings are the best, in that there is little traffic. A huge chunk of society is either not working orContinue reading “Covid Journal: 254 days in (161 protest nights), Fire Day 50”

Predictions of Fire, or The Calm Before the Storm The wildfires in the Oregon Cascades are settling down to a dull roar, most of them at least 75% contained, and none of them posing any real threat to lives or property. Sure, there are interior hot spots that flare up occasionally, and there will doubtlessContinue reading “Covid Journal: 249 days in (156 protest nights), Fire Day 45”

Two Americas, or We’re Not All In This Together As we head toward winter, Wave Three of coronavirus, and an election that our fearless leader has already signaled he won’t accept the results of (unless he wins, of course), uncertainty abounds on all sides. One thing is clear, though: the political rift dividing our countryContinue reading “Covid Journal: 244 days in (151 protest nights), Fire Day 40”

Winter is Coming: Recovery or Storm Surge? These days it’s hard not to spend time wondering what the future will hold. Predictions are all over the board, but one thing is clear: the future is decidedly unclear, even as near as a few weeks away it is impossible to forecast with any certainty. If youContinue reading “Covid Journal: 237 days in (144 protest nights), Fire Day 33”

The Emperor has Coronavirus but No Cure The only thing surprising about President Trump contracting COVID-19 is that it didn’t happen sooner. He, his staff and advisors have all flouted distancing, wearing masks and other scientifically proven techniques to stop the spread of the pandemic, instead touting some extremely unproven and potentially deadly experimental treatmentsContinue reading “Covid Journal: 236 days in (143 protest nights), Fire Day 32”

Breathing Free: saying goodbye and embracing life The rain arrived six nights ago. It signaled the end, more or less, of summer. More importantly, while it didn’t put any of the fires out on its own, it certainly helped the firefighting crews in catching and containing the many fires raging in this region. Since then,Continue reading “Covid Journal: 221 days in (128 protest nights), Fire Day 17”

Light at the End of the Smoke Tunnel It’s another smoky day in Oregon; close to 10 days of smoke so far in my neck of the woods. But according to the weather forecast there are two reasons to believe the worst of the smoke is behind us. First there will be a low pressureContinue reading “Covid Journal: 215 days in (122 protest nights), Fire Day 11”

Until the Smoke Clears, Literally and Figuratively The smoke from the many wildfires still pervades everything. The weather has become less hot and windy (thank Goodness), and it appears firefighters are making fast progress on the westside fires. There are several places where the previous evacuation orders have been lifted. These are all things toContinue reading “Covid Journal: 213 days in (120 protest nights), Fire Day 9”