16th June 2008

My House Smells Like Charcoal - The Benefits of Living Inside a Smoky Environment in Outer Banks, NC

It’s Monday morning - my eyes sting, my bathroom smells like charcoal, my clothes smell like I spent the night at the bars (I remember those days), and my throat is dry.  I could not sleep last night.  I’m disconcerted.  Friends and colleagues who were to arrive today - I’ve told them not to come - how could they bring children into this environment? 

I need to escape the house, as it’s obviously not healthy to be inside either, but where to go?  There are no local channels on my TV station - I’m having a hard time figuring out what to do locally.  I can watch the Weather Channel but today, all they say is thunderstorms are expected.  They said the same thing yesterday, but there were no thunderstorms - just a quick summer-like warm, humid shower that passes through as fast as it arrived. 

You can’t even see the coast line from my oceanfront home today.  The sun is bright, that’s a bonus, right?  Not when you can’t see past the dune line which is 50 yards behind your house. 

I might as well go see the horses in Shackleford, which is in Southern Outer Banks area, near Cape Lookout.  That trip will take some advance planning, but I could possibly begin the five hour journey later today, that will likely take two days, due to ferry schedules and the fact that I have to take three ferries, one of which is 2 1/2 hours. 

I had planned to work today on two client projects, but perhaps that is not possible.    I can’t stay here - not like there is a Starbucks nearby with WIFI. 

I’m very connected in the house through Verizon, but why bother, when your health and baby’s health is at stake.  Not worth it.

 Hey, it now says on the Weather Channel that it’s mostly sunny.  If only there was blue sky behind the sun!  I talked to someone who lives in Norfolk, VA - they said it was like this two days ago - the smoke was in their house too.  Another person who lives in the Raleigh area - also very bad there a couple of days ago. 

It’s more disconcerting to see how the realty company who sold me the property for two weeks, who knew the situation and its worsening conditions, felt at ease to sell me this, regardless of being pregnant.  However, knowing that I was coming in pregnant - even worse.  All for the sale, of how much?

If you are planning a vacation to Outer Banks, anywhere, do  not come!!!!!  It’s not expected to get better for months, they say, although information is somewhat spartan online and in the news locally.  Get your money back from Outer Beaches Realty if you can - put that vacation money to go somewhere more south than North Carolina.  All of NC is affected by this, as properties north of here as well.  Go south, my friend.

Pray for rain, and lots of it. One article reported that a tropical storm, scarily enough, would be the only type of rainfall that would be sufficient to help the situation.  I’d rather have rain, quite frankly, even though NC has been in a drought for three years.  And look at Iowa, floods in Cedar Rapids that remind me of New Orleans a few years ago.  Weather is not good in many areas. 

Seriously - pray for rain, the locals, and the wildlife.  St. Francis could help, right?  I prayed to him to help the animals, who must be scared - where to run in a wildlife refuge, when 41,000 acres and 60 square miles are burning out of control in a very flammable environment.

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