Air

According to AirNow.gov, the air pollution right now is at 270, "very unhealthy". It's an improvement from what it was last night and early this morning (>300, "hazardous" ). Fires in Canada are sending plumes of smoke our way, and because of weather patterns, our area is hit particularly hard.

I hope rain comes soon.

I hope the rain comes before the forests around here ignite because of extreme dryness, human carelessness, or out-of-our-control events (lightning). We already had a minor brush burn (luckily, it was brought under control) along the highway - probably because some jerk threw a cigarette stub out the window.

The temperature was beautiful (low 70's) this morning - perfect for a hike - but we can't enjoy the unusually cool weather because the air is just not good. 

Can't do: outdoor pool, hikes, kayaking, picnics, pick berries, play frisbee with kids.

Can do: stuff inside. Meh. 

I miss fresh air.

Airplanes, Military, and Nostalgia

On Sunday, I took my son and a couple of his friends to the WW2 airplane show. 

I fell in love with the Corsair. The pilot was clearly in love with it, too. There was such joy in his voice as he was talking us through all the maneuvers he was doing, flying loop after loop above the airfield.

The entire day, my head was full of memories and stories. WW2 - the Great Patriotic War - it had an enormous presence (a weight) for those growing up in the USSR. There was not a single family I knew that hadn't lost people to that war.

All those airplanes flying above, paratroopers jumping, with their parachutes opening up at equal intervals... It's funny how some things just trigger a memory, and then it's like a string that you keep pulling - more memories come out.

In the 80's, we lived near an airbase. There were planes in the sky all the time. I was a kid, and I wasn't particularly interested in airplanes (or weapons, or anything military-related) - but I remember that whenever we had guests, they were always a bit taken aback by all the noise from the planes. I was so used to it, I barely noticed.

One day, I was playing outside, and I noticed something funny in the sky - it took me a moment to realize these were parachutes! Soldiers were jumping out of a helicopter. It looked like white clouds being seeded in the sky at exactly equal intervals. The boys from my school got super-excited and ran off to the field where the soldiers were landing. I wasn't curious enough to join them (I may be regretting this now, all these years later... just a little bit...)

It's funny... so many year have passed - but the childhood, with all the wonder, disappointments, experiences, and adventures - some days, it feels like it's so close I could touch it. 

WW2 feels so recent - that was my grandparents' time. I heard so many stories - sad, happy, funny, heartbreaking - and they are all linked to my childhood in the USSR.

Down in the Grumps

I am in a mood.

Not a good one. 

How do you deal with bad moods?

Here is what doesn't work:

• Exercise (just makes me angrier)
• Count your blessings (just  makes me angrier)
• Take deep breaths (no change)
• Pet my cat (the evil thing runs away)
• Watch a movie (temporary relieve, but then it all comes back)

Here is what I'm going to try today:

• Chocolate
• Read a thriller for half an hour
• Go for a hike (if I can find the time)
• Play the piano (if I can find the time)
• Take deep breaths (because what the heck- it doesn't make anything worse... maybe if I do it long enough it'll make me feel better... or will make me pass out which would be somewhat of an improvement over my current state of mind)

Somewhat unrelated:  It's June 1 - International Children's Day (at least it used to be back in the USSR). Or perhaps not so unrelated because, in part, my bad mood is courtesy of one nearly-teenage child.