Wildfires in August

Many of you have seen the headlines about the horrific fires in Spokane, Washington, which is about an hour west of us. Thankfully, we have not had any major wildfires in our area. Still, with the volatility of the weather and the parched landscape, it has all of us on edge about the possibility that it could happen here. Our hearts are just broken to see the horrifying pictures and stories coming out of Spokane yesterday. The wall of smoke from the fires reached our area about 3 p.m. yesterday afternoon. I took the picture below when it arrived just south of my garden. It was so awful to know that so many precious lives had everything burnt up in that smoke. Over 600+ structures have been lost, and the fires are 0% contained. We have many family and friends in Spokane who had to evacuate, but all of them have reported that, to their knowledge, their homes are still standing. We have been praying for the Lord to protect the homes and lives of all those impacted.  This is a situation that is still very concerning, and I ask for your prayers for the safety of all involved. Danielle's sister-in-law is an EMT/firefighter and has been assigned to Spokane to fight the fires. We pray for all of those who are sacrificing their lives and health to work on these fires. 

Saturday was a very windy day here, and a day when we checked and double-checked our evacuation plans, should we need one.  I have a list posted on our refrigerator of what to take depending on how much time we have to evacuate.  Our RV is hooked up to our pickup, and it is stocked with all the basic supplies that we would need. We pray we never need it, but better to be prepared for the volatile situation we are in right now. 

I spent a lot of time in the garden yesterday, and grieved the loss of so many whose gardens are burned and homes destroyed.  Danielle's husband's cousin and her family had to evacuate, and many of the houses in their neighborhood burned.  They believe their home is still standing. Another friend's daughter had to evacuate, and her cameras are still working, and they believe her home is still standing. 

I give thanks to the Lord for this beautiful place where I can go and just enjoy the beauty of God's creation. And pray. I've been doing a lot of praying here! 

The air was very smoky at this point, as the wall of smoke from the fires had reached us. 

My greenhouse is surrounded by flowers, and I have corn growing behind it. 

My dahlias have begun to bloom! My neighbor gave me some of the dahlia blooms she had overwintered, and they have begun to bloom. My heart is happy! 

As dark settled upon us last evening, my solar lights began to come on. If you hadn't noticed, I love using solar lights in my garden. {smiles} I planted this grow tunnel with Scarlet Runner Beans. They bloom with such vigorous red blooms that the hummingbirds and bees love. Eventually they will cover the entire tunnel. 

A closer picture of the blooms of the Scarlet Runner Beans. I highly recommend them! They also grow huge green beans, so it is a win-win grower! 

This gives you an idea of where we are from the fires. Thankfully, our Idaho counties have no real wildfire concerns - at this time. But Spokane is in flames. This is just so awful to see! 

My black-eyed Susans are really putting on a show! 

The girls, grandgirls, and I went to a local blueberry farm. We had so much fun! 

Baby Clara had fun helping us with the blueberries! 

The blueberries were amazing! 

Some of my recent harvest - this is happening every day now. Harvest season has begun, and it is wonderful! 

We have had a SKUNK problem here! Several neighbors have seen skunks - I have seen skunks, and so we have a neighbor who is a trapper. He told us some amazing things about skunks. Their scent gland oil is highly prized. After it is refined, skunk oil is used in all high-end beauty products because of its incredible ability to last for days! Any of us who have experienced skunk spray know this well! Thankfully, we have not been sprayed! We have managed to trap two skunks. I have to do this because they will kill my chickens eventually. The trapper takes care of the issue, and their fur and scent oil are used. Unfortunately, once they begin to depend on human food and resources, they will always be a problem, even if relocated. 

I had fun with my stamping friends making these cards. Another dear friend sent the pieces to make the darling Hedgehog birthday card. We had so much fun together, as always! I made the "Hooray" birthday card using the Paper Pumpkin kit. 

These two darlings love to take a nap when I get up in the morning to drink my coffee. It is a good way to start my day! 

Consider how the flowers grow.
They do not labour or spin.
Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor
was dressed like one of these.
Luke 12:27

Thank you for your prayers for our area as we face the realities in the days ahead of what this wildfire will mean for the dear people of Spokane. We are "not out of the woods" here by any means, either, so we constantly pray and stay on alert during this wildfire season, and pray that we get gentle rain - no floods!  

In spite of all that is happening locally and worldwide, we know the Lord will help us through it all. It is well with my soul! I wanted to share this video with you, and I pray it is a blessing to your hearts! In every situation we face, we can easily be overwhelmed with worry, but when we look to the Lord, that is when we can say: "It is well with my soul!" 

God's rich blessings to each of you!