Recreational Fires Must Be Eliminated
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WELCOME TO HELL ON EARTH
The air is smoky from burning wood in North St. Paul, MN, almost every evening. It is a nightmare. What used to be a nice place to live has become a living hell.
WARNING: If you buy a house in North St. Paul, MN, you will regret it! It may be the biggest, most expensive mistake you ever make. You will breathe smoky air almost every day of your life in this town. This is not an exaggeration. The wood smoke in this town gets heavy and gets heavy often. When you want to get out of this dump of a town, how many people do you think are going to want to buy a house in a city where heavy air pollution every night is normal and clean air is rare? This blog gets thousands of visitors every year. The word is out: North St. Paul is a horrible place to live!
Fresh air is very rare around here. If you are considering moving to North St. Paul or buying a home here, I strongly recommend that you do not do it no matter how good of a price you get. The only way you will be happy in this town is if you love breathing smoky air almost every day. North St. Paul, MN, is a horrible place to live because of the smoky air!
Burning wood, grass, leaves, paper, cardboard, and sometimes plastic, construction materials, and chemicals, if it is combustible it gets burned in North St. Paul and you are going to breathe it.
The air was smoky 25 out of 31 evenings in July 2009. We had 37 hours of continuous wood smoke in the air Aug. 29th - 31st. There was wood smoke in the air 19 consecutive evenings from Aug. 21st to Sept. 8th. It rained heavily on Aug. 20th, providing the only relief we got from wood smoke for almost three weeks.
Is this a good way to live? No. It is a horrible way to live. Take it from someone who knows. Breathing smoky, polluted air every day is misery.
Every day in this city several people are having recreational fires. Every evening the air is filled with the stench of burning wood. I am one person sick and tired of breathing smoky air every day. Is it too much to ask to be able to breathe fresh air in your own home?
Who is responsible for this wood smoke nightmare? The four city council members are responsible. Council members Jan Walczak, Bob Bruton, Terry Furlong, and Dave Zick have refused to do anything about this wood smoke problem. They don't care if you have a child with asthma. They don't care if you have to live like a shut-in because the air is so polluted. They don't care if your sinuses burn because the wood smoke is so heavy.
Our four Council members have defended the rights of a small percentage of households to burn wood daily over the rights of all the rest of us to breathe.
You have no right to breathe under Walczak, Bruton, Furlong, and Zick. Burners have the right to burn wood 49 hours a week recreationally. The rest of us have no rights at all.
If you are considering purchasing real estate in the city of North Saint Paul, Minnesota (55109), factor this blog carefully into your decision. Buying a home in this city means that your kids will breathe smoky air while playing in the yard almost every day. Your baby will breathe smoky air in her crib should you leave the windows open around your house. If you leave your windows open you will wake up in the middle of the night choking on smoky air.
Perhaps worst of all, your utility rates will be high because you will have to run the air conditioner instead of leaving the windows open on a cool summer evening. You have no other choice because almost every night the air is too smoky to breathe in this city. Consider this blog your warning.
North St. Paul, Minnesota, is a wonderful community other than the wood smoke. If we could restore fresh air like we used to enjoy, life would be happy again. But that is not going to happen any time soon.
Tell others about this blog!
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The air is smoky from burning wood in North St. Paul, MN, almost every evening. It is a nightmare. What used to be a nice place to live has become a living hell.
WARNING: If you buy a house in North St. Paul, MN, you will regret it! It may be the biggest, most expensive mistake you ever make. You will breathe smoky air almost every day of your life in this town. This is not an exaggeration. The wood smoke in this town gets heavy and gets heavy often. When you want to get out of this dump of a town, how many people do you think are going to want to buy a house in a city where heavy air pollution every night is normal and clean air is rare? This blog gets thousands of visitors every year. The word is out: North St. Paul is a horrible place to live!
Fresh air is very rare around here. If you are considering moving to North St. Paul or buying a home here, I strongly recommend that you do not do it no matter how good of a price you get. The only way you will be happy in this town is if you love breathing smoky air almost every day. North St. Paul, MN, is a horrible place to live because of the smoky air!
Burning wood, grass, leaves, paper, cardboard, and sometimes plastic, construction materials, and chemicals, if it is combustible it gets burned in North St. Paul and you are going to breathe it.
The air was smoky 25 out of 31 evenings in July 2009. We had 37 hours of continuous wood smoke in the air Aug. 29th - 31st. There was wood smoke in the air 19 consecutive evenings from Aug. 21st to Sept. 8th. It rained heavily on Aug. 20th, providing the only relief we got from wood smoke for almost three weeks.
Is this a good way to live? No. It is a horrible way to live. Take it from someone who knows. Breathing smoky, polluted air every day is misery.
Every day in this city several people are having recreational fires. Every evening the air is filled with the stench of burning wood. I am one person sick and tired of breathing smoky air every day. Is it too much to ask to be able to breathe fresh air in your own home?
Who is responsible for this wood smoke nightmare? The four city council members are responsible. Council members Jan Walczak, Bob Bruton, Terry Furlong, and Dave Zick have refused to do anything about this wood smoke problem. They don't care if you have a child with asthma. They don't care if you have to live like a shut-in because the air is so polluted. They don't care if your sinuses burn because the wood smoke is so heavy.
Our four Council members have defended the rights of a small percentage of households to burn wood daily over the rights of all the rest of us to breathe.
You have no right to breathe under Walczak, Bruton, Furlong, and Zick. Burners have the right to burn wood 49 hours a week recreationally. The rest of us have no rights at all.
If you are considering purchasing real estate in the city of North Saint Paul, Minnesota (55109), factor this blog carefully into your decision. Buying a home in this city means that your kids will breathe smoky air while playing in the yard almost every day. Your baby will breathe smoky air in her crib should you leave the windows open around your house. If you leave your windows open you will wake up in the middle of the night choking on smoky air.
Perhaps worst of all, your utility rates will be high because you will have to run the air conditioner instead of leaving the windows open on a cool summer evening. You have no other choice because almost every night the air is too smoky to breathe in this city. Consider this blog your warning.
North St. Paul, Minnesota, is a wonderful community other than the wood smoke. If we could restore fresh air like we used to enjoy, life would be happy again. But that is not going to happen any time soon.
Tell others about this blog!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sunday 03/25/2012 Air Pollution
There was no wood smoke this evening due to a cool temperature. The temperature at 4:30 PM was 57 degrees. Our windows were closed for most of the day so I did not notice any smoke from burning yard waste. If you enjoy fresh, clean air, this was one of those rare days in North St. Paul when the air was not contaminated with wood or yard waste smoke pollution. If it was a nice day, there would be smoke in the air. There always is.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Saturday 03/24/2012 Air Pollution
At least nine fires were burning within a quarter mile radius of us this evening. The wood smoke from Friday night continued well into this morning. There was intermittent burning throughout the day and asshole frequent burner started burning for the first time this season. Asshole frequent burner usually burns four to six times a week, all spring, summer, and fall long and burns yard waste, too, sometimes late at night. He produces huge clouds of smoke and burns for hours at a time day after day. The idiots in charge of this stupid horrible city made it legal and there is nothing we can do about it. Smoky air, noisy drunks. North St. Paul sucks!
Do you want to live in a city like this? Click the Facebook Like button on this blog if you have a Facebook account to help spread the word about the punishment we endure living in North St. Paul, Minnesota.
12:30 AM: Light to moderate wood smoke from Friday night's burning continues.
2:00 AM: Very faint stinky smoldering wood smoke lingers in the air. I checked the air on my way back to bed. Still can't open the windows. Don't want that stinky smell in the house. Somebody probably left their bonfire smoldering all night long. That happens all the time in North St. Paul. This city is a horrible place to live.
7:00 AM: Fresh air. Finally we can open the windows!
11:00 AM: Faint to light wood smoke. Somebody is burning somewhere around this time. Close the windows! 53 degrees and cloudy at this time. It could be a fireplace or somebody could be burning some tree branches. Who knows in this town. If it is combustible, people burn it.
12:00 PM: The air is not fresh. I can't determine what is in it but I know it isn't fresh.
1:30 PM: Not fresh air continues.
2:30 PM: Faint wood smoke around this time.
4:00 PM: Air is not fresh. Something is in it.
4:25 PM: Strong smell of lighter fluid is in the air. When you smell lighter fluid, you know one thing. Asshole frequent burner is going to start burning. Last year he burned about three or four times a week, much less than usual. He usually burns four to six times a week, every week, and has been doing this since around 2004. He's burned tons of wood on that property over the past eight years. His burning starts between 4 PM and 7 PM, he lets his wood smolder itself out, and by the time asshole's wood smoke is done the bonfires start elsewhere. It's wood smoke hell. Close the remaining windows. We know what is coming.
4:30 PM: I went out around the corner and confirmed that asshole frequent burner is burning. He is producing huge clouds of smoke at this time. The smoke is drifting south.
4:34 PM: Wood smoke from asshole frequent burner at home now. North St. Paul sucks! The smoke comes and goes as the breeze shifts direction. We are not catching much of his smoke at this time. We are lucky today. Sometimes we are not so lucky. 68 degrees, and it would be a beautiful evening to sit outside if not for the heavy wood smoke pollution.
4:46 PM: No smoke here. It comes and goes.
5:30 PM: No smoke. Went out and saw asshole frequent burner is still smoking up a storm. Huge clouds of smoke. Lucky for us it isn't coming this way.
6:15 PM: No smoke here.
6:40 PM: Moderate wood smoke. The heavy wood smoke is from the asshole frequent burner. You know the smell of his wood smoke.
7:25 PM: Moderate wood smoke continues. Went out and saw from behind the property huge bursts of smoke going up. That asshole is feeding more wood onto his fire. He's been burning for three hours now. And he will burn every day the weather is nice until September or October. And he will burn grass and in the fall he will burn leaves. And sometimes he will burn his grass after midnight under cover of darkness.
8:00 PM: Faint wood smoke. Smells different than before. Bonfires are starting now.
Sometime between 8:30 and 9 PM I went out for a little ride through the neighborhood. I made a quarter mile circle through the neighborhood, not going down most of the roads. I counted nine homes burning including asshole frequent burner. I saw two more homes I thought could be burning wood but couldn't see anything. There is not much of a breeze at this time. One home had a cloud of smoke hanging over the backyard and I could hear crackling from another home. It's early. More burners will be burning after 10 PM. It's going to be a long, smoky hell of a night.
After going through the neighborhood I headed over to Silver Lake. Smoky as hell over there in some parts. City council member Bob Bruton's neighbor a few houses south was having a bonfire. Down two homes further south was another home having a bonfire. Without much breeze, the smoke seemed to be drifting south and east. That's a shame because Bob Bruton supports recreational burning. He told me he did. Living north of the fires, the smoke may not make it into his windows.
A rental property five homes north of city council member Jan Walczak was having a bonfire. There was a for rent sign in front of the home a couple of months ago. The new tenants look like they are going to be burners. I hope the smoke drifted south onto Jan Walczak's property. Walczak was the first person I complained to about the horrible wood smoke pollution problem in this city back in 2008 and she did not do anything to help. I did not see any windows open at Walczak's house as I passed down on Helen St. Open your windows, Jan. Let that wood smoke into your living room and bedroom. You are the reason this wood smoke exists.
9:00 PM: Light wood smoke. The smoke is only going to get heavier.
9:35 PM: Moderate wood smoke. It is very smoky outside. You don't want to be outside breathing this toxic air.
11:00 PM: Moderate wood smoke continues.
11:55 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke continues. No chance of opening the windows before bed. We'll just have to hope the bonfires burn themselves out before we wake up in the morning so we can enjoy a few hours of fresh air before the burning starts again.
Do you want to live in a city like this? Click the Facebook Like button on this blog if you have a Facebook account to help spread the word about the punishment we endure living in North St. Paul, Minnesota.
12:30 AM: Light to moderate wood smoke from Friday night's burning continues.
2:00 AM: Very faint stinky smoldering wood smoke lingers in the air. I checked the air on my way back to bed. Still can't open the windows. Don't want that stinky smell in the house. Somebody probably left their bonfire smoldering all night long. That happens all the time in North St. Paul. This city is a horrible place to live.
7:00 AM: Fresh air. Finally we can open the windows!
11:00 AM: Faint to light wood smoke. Somebody is burning somewhere around this time. Close the windows! 53 degrees and cloudy at this time. It could be a fireplace or somebody could be burning some tree branches. Who knows in this town. If it is combustible, people burn it.
12:00 PM: The air is not fresh. I can't determine what is in it but I know it isn't fresh.
1:30 PM: Not fresh air continues.
2:30 PM: Faint wood smoke around this time.
4:00 PM: Air is not fresh. Something is in it.
4:25 PM: Strong smell of lighter fluid is in the air. When you smell lighter fluid, you know one thing. Asshole frequent burner is going to start burning. Last year he burned about three or four times a week, much less than usual. He usually burns four to six times a week, every week, and has been doing this since around 2004. He's burned tons of wood on that property over the past eight years. His burning starts between 4 PM and 7 PM, he lets his wood smolder itself out, and by the time asshole's wood smoke is done the bonfires start elsewhere. It's wood smoke hell. Close the remaining windows. We know what is coming.
4:30 PM: I went out around the corner and confirmed that asshole frequent burner is burning. He is producing huge clouds of smoke at this time. The smoke is drifting south.
4:34 PM: Wood smoke from asshole frequent burner at home now. North St. Paul sucks! The smoke comes and goes as the breeze shifts direction. We are not catching much of his smoke at this time. We are lucky today. Sometimes we are not so lucky. 68 degrees, and it would be a beautiful evening to sit outside if not for the heavy wood smoke pollution.
4:46 PM: No smoke here. It comes and goes.
5:30 PM: No smoke. Went out and saw asshole frequent burner is still smoking up a storm. Huge clouds of smoke. Lucky for us it isn't coming this way.
6:15 PM: No smoke here.
6:40 PM: Moderate wood smoke. The heavy wood smoke is from the asshole frequent burner. You know the smell of his wood smoke.
7:25 PM: Moderate wood smoke continues. Went out and saw from behind the property huge bursts of smoke going up. That asshole is feeding more wood onto his fire. He's been burning for three hours now. And he will burn every day the weather is nice until September or October. And he will burn grass and in the fall he will burn leaves. And sometimes he will burn his grass after midnight under cover of darkness.
8:00 PM: Faint wood smoke. Smells different than before. Bonfires are starting now.
Sometime between 8:30 and 9 PM I went out for a little ride through the neighborhood. I made a quarter mile circle through the neighborhood, not going down most of the roads. I counted nine homes burning including asshole frequent burner. I saw two more homes I thought could be burning wood but couldn't see anything. There is not much of a breeze at this time. One home had a cloud of smoke hanging over the backyard and I could hear crackling from another home. It's early. More burners will be burning after 10 PM. It's going to be a long, smoky hell of a night.
After going through the neighborhood I headed over to Silver Lake. Smoky as hell over there in some parts. City council member Bob Bruton's neighbor a few houses south was having a bonfire. Down two homes further south was another home having a bonfire. Without much breeze, the smoke seemed to be drifting south and east. That's a shame because Bob Bruton supports recreational burning. He told me he did. Living north of the fires, the smoke may not make it into his windows.
A rental property five homes north of city council member Jan Walczak was having a bonfire. There was a for rent sign in front of the home a couple of months ago. The new tenants look like they are going to be burners. I hope the smoke drifted south onto Jan Walczak's property. Walczak was the first person I complained to about the horrible wood smoke pollution problem in this city back in 2008 and she did not do anything to help. I did not see any windows open at Walczak's house as I passed down on Helen St. Open your windows, Jan. Let that wood smoke into your living room and bedroom. You are the reason this wood smoke exists.
9:00 PM: Light wood smoke. The smoke is only going to get heavier.
9:35 PM: Moderate wood smoke. It is very smoky outside. You don't want to be outside breathing this toxic air.
11:00 PM: Moderate wood smoke continues.
11:55 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke continues. No chance of opening the windows before bed. We'll just have to hope the bonfires burn themselves out before we wake up in the morning so we can enjoy a few hours of fresh air before the burning starts again.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Friday 03/23/2012 Air Pollution
It's another smoky evening as usual in North St. Paul. The weather is nice for this time of year. There is yard waste to be burned. People have to get drunk and sit around smoky bonfires because they can't find anything else to do.
2:10 PM: Light grass smoke. Home at this time to notice someone is burning grass somewhere. I have wondered how much yard waste burning happens during the day when people are at work. This smoke lasted for less than half an hour.
4:42 PM: Light to moderate grass smoke. There is an illegal yard waste burner who must not be too far away for the smoke to be this heavy. Close the windows! North St. Paul sucks. 71 degrees and it would be a nice afternoon to have the windows open but we can't!
5:15 PM: Light to moderate grass and what may be wood being burned with it. It is common for yard waste burners to start a bonfire and rake their grass clippings into it. Or the yard waste burner could be disposing of tree branches. It's too smoky to sit outside and too smoky to open the windows. North St. Paul is a horrible place to live.
5:40 PM: Light to moderate paper or some other type of smoke. Why not burn some other types of waste while you are at it? I don't know who is doing the burning. Nobody around us is doing it. It could be someone on the next block or down further than that.
6:30 PM: No smoke. The calm before the storm.
7:00 PM: No smoke. There will be as there always is. If it is nice enough to have the windows open and it isn't raining, people are burning. Wood, grass, paper, if it is combustible, people burn it in North St. Paul.
7:30 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. It's smoky outside. Too smoky to sit outside. Too smoky to open the windows. We are prisoners in our own homes once again.
8:00 PM:Moderate wood smoke. The wood smoke pollution has gotten heavier. It is very smoky outside. Not as smoky as it was last Friday. Last Friday it was extremely smoky. This Friday is only very smoky. In North St. Paul, very smoky air is an improvement over how bad it can get.
8:55 PM: No smoke. The breeze must have shifted. The burning isn't ending this early on Friday.
9:30 PM: Light wood smoke.
10:10 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke.
10:40 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke continues.
Midnight: Light wood smoke. There is no chance of opening the windows before bed.
The wood smoke continued well into the morning hours. Burning is supposed to cease at 11 PM but it rarely does in this shitty polluted hell of a city.
2:10 PM: Light grass smoke. Home at this time to notice someone is burning grass somewhere. I have wondered how much yard waste burning happens during the day when people are at work. This smoke lasted for less than half an hour.
4:42 PM: Light to moderate grass smoke. There is an illegal yard waste burner who must not be too far away for the smoke to be this heavy. Close the windows! North St. Paul sucks. 71 degrees and it would be a nice afternoon to have the windows open but we can't!
5:15 PM: Light to moderate grass and what may be wood being burned with it. It is common for yard waste burners to start a bonfire and rake their grass clippings into it. Or the yard waste burner could be disposing of tree branches. It's too smoky to sit outside and too smoky to open the windows. North St. Paul is a horrible place to live.
5:40 PM: Light to moderate paper or some other type of smoke. Why not burn some other types of waste while you are at it? I don't know who is doing the burning. Nobody around us is doing it. It could be someone on the next block or down further than that.
6:30 PM: No smoke. The calm before the storm.
7:00 PM: No smoke. There will be as there always is. If it is nice enough to have the windows open and it isn't raining, people are burning. Wood, grass, paper, if it is combustible, people burn it in North St. Paul.
7:30 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. It's smoky outside. Too smoky to sit outside. Too smoky to open the windows. We are prisoners in our own homes once again.
8:00 PM:Moderate wood smoke. The wood smoke pollution has gotten heavier. It is very smoky outside. Not as smoky as it was last Friday. Last Friday it was extremely smoky. This Friday is only very smoky. In North St. Paul, very smoky air is an improvement over how bad it can get.
8:55 PM: No smoke. The breeze must have shifted. The burning isn't ending this early on Friday.
9:30 PM: Light wood smoke.
10:10 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke.
10:40 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke continues.
Midnight: Light wood smoke. There is no chance of opening the windows before bed.
The wood smoke continued well into the morning hours. Burning is supposed to cease at 11 PM but it rarely does in this shitty polluted hell of a city.
Thursday 03/22/2012 Air Pollution
There was no smoke this evening because of rain. It's still early in the season for recreational burning and the temperature tonight was on the cool side. It was 67 degrees at 5 PM. We had intermittent rain sprinkles during the evening. If you enjoy fresh, unpolluted air, this was a good evening. We don't get many smoke-free evenings in North St. Paul. We have to savor every one.
Wednesday 03/21/2012 Air Pollution
No smoke this evening. A cool temperature and some rain kept the pyromaniacs from polluting our precious air. 62 degrees at 6 PM.
Tuesday 03/20/2012 Air Pollution
There was no wood smoke this evening. It was a little cool for bonfires and we had some light rain this evening. 62 degrees at 8 PM. Good evening for fresh air. We had some windows open around the house enjoying the little fresh air available in North St. Paul.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Monday 03/19/2012 Air Pollution
Somebody is always burning something in North St. Paul when the weather is nice. This evening was no exception.
5:00 PM: No smoke. Fresh air. 78 degrees and windy.
5:44 PM: Very faint grass smoke blowing in the windows on the wind.
5:56 PM: Faint grass smoke coming and going. The yard waste smoke is getting stronger. We can smell it inside the house. It was close to the point where we would have to close the windows. We didn't.
6:30 PM: Very faint wood or some type of smoke in the air. It isn't much. It's not a grill. It could be someone burning tree branches. If you drive around the city you will see plenty of firepits filled with tree branches ready to be burned.
7:00 PM: No smoke.
8:00 PM: No smoke. Light rain falling around this time with a little lightning and thunder. Our first thunderstorm of the season.
8:40 PM: No smoke. Moderate rain falling. The rain is heavier now. Lightning continues to flicker in the clouds. There will be no bonfires tonight. Good.
There was no more smoke this evening. We went to bed with a few windows open around the house for ventilation as drizzle continued at bed time. A little grass smoke nuisance is about as good as it gets in North St. Paul. We had much heavier wood and yard waste smoke the past few days.
5:00 PM: No smoke. Fresh air. 78 degrees and windy.
5:44 PM: Very faint grass smoke blowing in the windows on the wind.
5:56 PM: Faint grass smoke coming and going. The yard waste smoke is getting stronger. We can smell it inside the house. It was close to the point where we would have to close the windows. We didn't.
6:30 PM: Very faint wood or some type of smoke in the air. It isn't much. It's not a grill. It could be someone burning tree branches. If you drive around the city you will see plenty of firepits filled with tree branches ready to be burned.
7:00 PM: No smoke.
8:00 PM: No smoke. Light rain falling around this time with a little lightning and thunder. Our first thunderstorm of the season.
8:40 PM: No smoke. Moderate rain falling. The rain is heavier now. Lightning continues to flicker in the clouds. There will be no bonfires tonight. Good.
There was no more smoke this evening. We went to bed with a few windows open around the house for ventilation as drizzle continued at bed time. A little grass smoke nuisance is about as good as it gets in North St. Paul. We had much heavier wood and yard waste smoke the past few days.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Sunday 03/18/2012 Air Pollution
A beautiful day, a beautiful evening. That means smoky air.
We enjoyed a little smoke from burning yard waste blowing in the windows intermittently throughout the day with some pretty heavy yard waste and wood smoke this evening. The joys of living in North St. Paul.
10:45 AM: Very faint grass smoke coming in the windows. Somebody is illegally burning yard waste somewhere off in the distance. It is breezy at this time. The smoke comes and goes with the breeze.
11:00 AM: Faint grass smoke coming in the windows. It's a little stronger now. 67 degrees, sunny, beautiful except for the yard waste smoke in the air. I stepped outside to try to determine the direction the smoke is coming from. It was hard to tell as the breeze shifted directions every few seconds. It seemed to be coming out of the west. It came and went for the next half hour or so.
12:22 PM: A very faint trace of some type of smoke is in the air. Likely grass smoke.
1:25 PM: Faint yard waste smoke coming and going with the breeze. It did not last too long.
3:30 PM: A very faint smoke of some type is in the air. Not sure what it is.
4:00 PM: No smoke. Fresh air.
5:00 PM: Fresh air.
6:15 PM: Fresh air continues. 79 degrees and windy.
6:45 PM: A very faint smoke of some type is in the air and coming in the windows. I don't know what it is.
7:15 PM: A very faint smoke of some type continues.
7:18 PM: Light to moderate wood and yard waste smoke flooded into the house. With the wind gusty as it is, the house was filled with the stench of wood and yard waste smoke within seconds. The entire house reeked. Close the windows! The smoke was coming and going on the wind.
I found the source of the yard waste burning. For the third evening in a row a home near Margaret & 19th was burning. On Friday, a home in the area of Margaret & 18th was having a fire and burning tree branches. Last night a home near the corner of Margaret & 19th or the home next door was having a bonfire and burning wood and what smelled like paper. Tonight a home near the corner of Margaret & 19th was burning yard waste. We are a good distance away from that house but the wind filled our house with that smoke like the burning was happening next door. I hope city council members Jan Walczak and Bob Bruton caught some of that yard waste smoke inside their homes. They live closer to the burner than we do.
7:45 PM: Very faint yard waste or some other smoke at this time.
8:30 PM: Light wood smoke at this time coming from the direction of the yard waste burner. It comes and goes as the wind shifts direction.
8:40 PM: Very faint smoke coming from the direction of the yard waste burner.
9:00 PM: No smoke.
9:30 PM: No smoke.
10:00 PM: No smoke. 71 degrees in North St. Paul.
We are tempted to leave a few windows open around the house for some ventilation and to cool the house a little before morning. It's a big risk because you never know when somebody is going to start a bonfire late or do some late night yard waste burning. It happens all the time. There are not many things more infuriating than to wake up at 1 AM to a house full of wood smoke.
The average high temperature for today is 42 degrees. When temperatures return to normal the bonfires should go away until it warms up again in April and May. This smoky weekend is only a sample of what is to come.
We enjoyed a little smoke from burning yard waste blowing in the windows intermittently throughout the day with some pretty heavy yard waste and wood smoke this evening. The joys of living in North St. Paul.
10:45 AM: Very faint grass smoke coming in the windows. Somebody is illegally burning yard waste somewhere off in the distance. It is breezy at this time. The smoke comes and goes with the breeze.
11:00 AM: Faint grass smoke coming in the windows. It's a little stronger now. 67 degrees, sunny, beautiful except for the yard waste smoke in the air. I stepped outside to try to determine the direction the smoke is coming from. It was hard to tell as the breeze shifted directions every few seconds. It seemed to be coming out of the west. It came and went for the next half hour or so.
12:22 PM: A very faint trace of some type of smoke is in the air. Likely grass smoke.
1:25 PM: Faint yard waste smoke coming and going with the breeze. It did not last too long.
3:30 PM: A very faint smoke of some type is in the air. Not sure what it is.
4:00 PM: No smoke. Fresh air.
5:00 PM: Fresh air.
6:15 PM: Fresh air continues. 79 degrees and windy.
6:45 PM: A very faint smoke of some type is in the air and coming in the windows. I don't know what it is.
7:15 PM: A very faint smoke of some type continues.
7:18 PM: Light to moderate wood and yard waste smoke flooded into the house. With the wind gusty as it is, the house was filled with the stench of wood and yard waste smoke within seconds. The entire house reeked. Close the windows! The smoke was coming and going on the wind.
I found the source of the yard waste burning. For the third evening in a row a home near Margaret & 19th was burning. On Friday, a home in the area of Margaret & 18th was having a fire and burning tree branches. Last night a home near the corner of Margaret & 19th or the home next door was having a bonfire and burning wood and what smelled like paper. Tonight a home near the corner of Margaret & 19th was burning yard waste. We are a good distance away from that house but the wind filled our house with that smoke like the burning was happening next door. I hope city council members Jan Walczak and Bob Bruton caught some of that yard waste smoke inside their homes. They live closer to the burner than we do.
7:45 PM: Very faint yard waste or some other smoke at this time.
8:30 PM: Light wood smoke at this time coming from the direction of the yard waste burner. It comes and goes as the wind shifts direction.
8:40 PM: Very faint smoke coming from the direction of the yard waste burner.
9:00 PM: No smoke.
9:30 PM: No smoke.
10:00 PM: No smoke. 71 degrees in North St. Paul.
We are tempted to leave a few windows open around the house for some ventilation and to cool the house a little before morning. It's a big risk because you never know when somebody is going to start a bonfire late or do some late night yard waste burning. It happens all the time. There are not many things more infuriating than to wake up at 1 AM to a house full of wood smoke.
The average high temperature for today is 42 degrees. When temperatures return to normal the bonfires should go away until it warms up again in April and May. This smoky weekend is only a sample of what is to come.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Saturday 03/17/2012 Air Pollution
The weather forecast calls for a high of 80 degrees today with a 20 percent chance of an isolated thunderstorm. It is unlikely we will have any rain tonight to keep the bonfire burners at bay. That means it will be another smoky hell of an evening in North St. Paul.
9:50 AM: Very faint grass smoke coming in the windows. 65 degrees at this time. It's nice that the yard waste burner out there somewhere is getting an early start. Early to bed, early to burn. The smoke came and went for 15 minutes or so and was gone.
2:50 PM: Very faint grass smoke is coming in the windows. Is this the same yard waste burner as earlier or is this a new one? It is breezy.
3:25 PM: Very faint grass smoke coming and going. 77 degrees in North Saint Paul.
5:30 PM: A very faint smoke of some type is in the air. It is not strong enough to determine what it is. It could be burning grass or a grill off in the distance.
6:45 PM: No smoke. The calm before the storm. Savor that last bit of fresh air because soon there won't be any for many hours. 76 degrees and beautiful. You could not ask for a nicer day. That means the air will be smoky tonight. As it always is.
7:35 PM: The air is not fresh. There is something in it. Dusk is upon us and bonfires start around this time. Getting ready to close the windows soon.
8:10 PM: Light wood smoke is coming in the windows at this time. Close the windows! It is breezy at this time. I went out and it was faintly smoky all over. I found a bonfire on the southern edge of Silver Lake at Margaret & 19th. A home was burning over there last night and tonight a different home is burning. It was also very smoky along 17th at Charles and east near the old Silver Lake Market that is now a bank of some type. It is breezy at this time. The breeze blows north, then west, and alternates between the directions. Wood smoke is being disbursed far and wide. I did not find the source of the wood smoke coming in our windows.
It is a beautiful, breezy summery evening. It would be a nice night to sit outside and enjoy the pleasant air free of insects. But we can't because the air is smoky, as it always is in North St. Paul. Can't open the windows and enjoy the breeze flowing through the house. We can only sit inside with all the windows closed up tight. We are prisoners in our own home was again.
9:00 PM: Faint wood smoke.
9:30 PM: Light wood smoke.
9:45 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. The wood smoke is getting stronger. Around 70 degrees at this time.
11:15 PM: Faint to light wood smoke. Last check of the evening. There is no chance of opening the windows before bed. We can only hope the air is free of wood smoke pollution come morning so we can open the windows up and enjoy the weather before it gets colder again.
The air was fresh when I woke up Sunday morning. Thankfully. It is common for the air to be smoky in the morning because people leave their bonfires smoldering all night. The air was not as smoky as last night, but was too smoky to sit outside or open the windows.
Smoky, polluted air every day of your life in North St. Paul.
9:50 AM: Very faint grass smoke coming in the windows. 65 degrees at this time. It's nice that the yard waste burner out there somewhere is getting an early start. Early to bed, early to burn. The smoke came and went for 15 minutes or so and was gone.
2:50 PM: Very faint grass smoke is coming in the windows. Is this the same yard waste burner as earlier or is this a new one? It is breezy.
3:25 PM: Very faint grass smoke coming and going. 77 degrees in North Saint Paul.
5:30 PM: A very faint smoke of some type is in the air. It is not strong enough to determine what it is. It could be burning grass or a grill off in the distance.
6:45 PM: No smoke. The calm before the storm. Savor that last bit of fresh air because soon there won't be any for many hours. 76 degrees and beautiful. You could not ask for a nicer day. That means the air will be smoky tonight. As it always is.
7:35 PM: The air is not fresh. There is something in it. Dusk is upon us and bonfires start around this time. Getting ready to close the windows soon.
8:10 PM: Light wood smoke is coming in the windows at this time. Close the windows! It is breezy at this time. I went out and it was faintly smoky all over. I found a bonfire on the southern edge of Silver Lake at Margaret & 19th. A home was burning over there last night and tonight a different home is burning. It was also very smoky along 17th at Charles and east near the old Silver Lake Market that is now a bank of some type. It is breezy at this time. The breeze blows north, then west, and alternates between the directions. Wood smoke is being disbursed far and wide. I did not find the source of the wood smoke coming in our windows.
It is a beautiful, breezy summery evening. It would be a nice night to sit outside and enjoy the pleasant air free of insects. But we can't because the air is smoky, as it always is in North St. Paul. Can't open the windows and enjoy the breeze flowing through the house. We can only sit inside with all the windows closed up tight. We are prisoners in our own home was again.
9:00 PM: Faint wood smoke.
9:30 PM: Light wood smoke.
9:45 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. The wood smoke is getting stronger. Around 70 degrees at this time.
11:15 PM: Faint to light wood smoke. Last check of the evening. There is no chance of opening the windows before bed. We can only hope the air is free of wood smoke pollution come morning so we can open the windows up and enjoy the weather before it gets colder again.
The air was fresh when I woke up Sunday morning. Thankfully. It is common for the air to be smoky in the morning because people leave their bonfires smoldering all night. The air was not as smoky as last night, but was too smoky to sit outside or open the windows.
Smoky, polluted air every day of your life in North St. Paul.
Friday 03/16/2012 Air Pollution
It was a beautiful evening. Warm and pleasant. As always in the city of North St. Paul, MN, when the weather is nice the air is so heavy with wood smoke pollution you cannot stand to breathe it. I knew it would be smoky tonight because it always is in North St. Paul when the weather is nice. Always. You can bet money on it and win every time.
It would have been a nice evening to sit outside and enjoy the unseasonably warm weather more characteristic of late May than March. But you couldn't. The air was so polluted with wood and yard waste smoke breathing it irritated your sinuses. Stepping outside for a minute would leave your clothes reeking of smoke as if you spent hours in a smoky bar. It was another North St. Paul nightmare from hell.
3:10 PM: Very faint to faint smoke that smells odd. It smells like burning grass and burning meat or something. I'm not sure what it is. The smoke comes and goes blowing in the windows. It stinks. 76 degrees and sunny at this time.
3:35 PM: The very faint stinky smoke from earlier comes and goes.
4:00 PM: No smoke. Fresh air. But it won't last long.
5:00 PM: No smoke. The calm before the wood smoke pollution storm. 77 degrees and sunny.
6:50 PM: No smoke. The windows are open. The breeze is blowing through the house. Enjoying that last bit of fresh air.
7:15 PM: The air is not fresh. Something is in it. Somebody somewhere is burning. The bonfires have started. Close the windows! We know what is coming. It's like this every day in this horrible polluted hell of a city.
7:30 PM: Very faint to faint wood smoke in the air. The pollution is getting stronger.
7:37 PM: Faint wood smoke in the air. The smoke is getting stronger.
8:00 PM: Moderate to strong wood and what smells like grass smoke. It is extremely smoky at this time. This air pollution is inhumane. I can't believe any human being would subject another human being to the torture of heavy air pollution like this as our city council has been doing for years. Living in North St. Paul is like living in a bad dream that you relive every evening.
8:55 PM: Moderate to strong wood and grass smoke continues. Extremely heavy air pollution continues. You cannot stand to breathe this air. If you stepped outside for one minute your clothes would reek of smoke when you came back in.
9:50 PM: Light wood smoke at this time. The intensity of the air pollution is decreasing. 66 degrees at this time.
10:15 PM: Faint wood smoke continues.
10:40 PM: Very faint wood smoke at this time. This was the last check of the evening.
I did not stay up late and slept through until morning. I wasn't able to check if the smoke got heavier late at night as it often does.
This is life in North St. Paul. This is how we have lived for many years now. I've seen that homes have been selling the past couple of months. You people who are moving into the city are in for a rude surprise when you see how much it costs you for electricity this summer when you have to leave your air conditioner on all night because the air is so smoky you can't open your windows.
North St. Paul was a great place to live until the early 2000s. It's been getting worse and worse every year since.
It would have been a nice evening to sit outside and enjoy the unseasonably warm weather more characteristic of late May than March. But you couldn't. The air was so polluted with wood and yard waste smoke breathing it irritated your sinuses. Stepping outside for a minute would leave your clothes reeking of smoke as if you spent hours in a smoky bar. It was another North St. Paul nightmare from hell.
3:10 PM: Very faint to faint smoke that smells odd. It smells like burning grass and burning meat or something. I'm not sure what it is. The smoke comes and goes blowing in the windows. It stinks. 76 degrees and sunny at this time.
3:35 PM: The very faint stinky smoke from earlier comes and goes.
4:00 PM: No smoke. Fresh air. But it won't last long.
5:00 PM: No smoke. The calm before the wood smoke pollution storm. 77 degrees and sunny.
6:50 PM: No smoke. The windows are open. The breeze is blowing through the house. Enjoying that last bit of fresh air.
7:15 PM: The air is not fresh. Something is in it. Somebody somewhere is burning. The bonfires have started. Close the windows! We know what is coming. It's like this every day in this horrible polluted hell of a city.
7:30 PM: Very faint to faint wood smoke in the air. The pollution is getting stronger.
7:37 PM: Faint wood smoke in the air. The smoke is getting stronger.
8:00 PM: Moderate to strong wood and what smells like grass smoke. It is extremely smoky at this time. This air pollution is inhumane. I can't believe any human being would subject another human being to the torture of heavy air pollution like this as our city council has been doing for years. Living in North St. Paul is like living in a bad dream that you relive every evening.
8:55 PM: Moderate to strong wood and grass smoke continues. Extremely heavy air pollution continues. You cannot stand to breathe this air. If you stepped outside for one minute your clothes would reek of smoke when you came back in.
9:50 PM: Light wood smoke at this time. The intensity of the air pollution is decreasing. 66 degrees at this time.
10:15 PM: Faint wood smoke continues.
10:40 PM: Very faint wood smoke at this time. This was the last check of the evening.
I did not stay up late and slept through until morning. I wasn't able to check if the smoke got heavier late at night as it often does.
This is life in North St. Paul. This is how we have lived for many years now. I've seen that homes have been selling the past couple of months. You people who are moving into the city are in for a rude surprise when you see how much it costs you for electricity this summer when you have to leave your air conditioner on all night because the air is so smoky you can't open your windows.
North St. Paul was a great place to live until the early 2000s. It's been getting worse and worse every year since.
Bonfire season starts early this year
Our unseasonably warm March has led to an early start of North St. Paul's burning season. I usually don't start documenting smoky air from bonfires until April. If this early burning is any indication, it is going to be a long, smoky hell of year. It's always polluted as hell in North St. Paul. 2012 could be the worst year ever for wood smoke pollution. I find more of those chimnea and metal fire baskets every year.
I saw my first bonfire on Saturday March 10th. The house on the corner of Beam & Chippewa was burning wood in their firepit. The ground was soggy, snow was still on the ground, and they could not wait to sit slumped in chairs in front of a smoky fire. They looked bored. The temperature was about 58 degrees at the time, about 6:45 PM. The smoke was drifting north and I could smell it all the way to Lydia in Maplewood, a quarter of a mile away.
I saw my second bonfire on Wednesday the 14th. A home on the corner of Shoshone & Chippewa had a fire burning unattended in a fire basket. I did not see anyone around in the yard. This is the first time I have seen that house burn. I saw a metal fire basket in the backyard a few weeks ago and it may be that another household has decided to join the smoke pollution party. There were smoky patches of air all over the place this evening. The temperature was 70 degrees when I was out. The smoke may have been from bonfires or recreational fireplace use. Does anyone need to have a fireplace going to heat their home when it is 70 degrees outside?
Our winter seemed smokier than past winters. I documented the smoky air every day this winter. I haven't decided if I am going to update the blog with the winter wood smoke conditions. You expect wood smoke in the air during the cold months. But winter is our least smoky season in the city of North St. Paul. The air in winter is much less polluted than in spring, summer, and fall.
As with most winters, there was almost never any wood smoke in the air during the morning hours or early afternoon on weekends. People need to heat their homes at 7 AM during the week, but they aren't using fireplaces to do it. The smoky air in winter occurs mainly during the evenings. Fireplaces are not used for home heating as much as for recreation. If people were using fireplaces for home heating the air would be smoky at all hours of the day.
I saw my first bonfire on Saturday March 10th. The house on the corner of Beam & Chippewa was burning wood in their firepit. The ground was soggy, snow was still on the ground, and they could not wait to sit slumped in chairs in front of a smoky fire. They looked bored. The temperature was about 58 degrees at the time, about 6:45 PM. The smoke was drifting north and I could smell it all the way to Lydia in Maplewood, a quarter of a mile away.
I saw my second bonfire on Wednesday the 14th. A home on the corner of Shoshone & Chippewa had a fire burning unattended in a fire basket. I did not see anyone around in the yard. This is the first time I have seen that house burn. I saw a metal fire basket in the backyard a few weeks ago and it may be that another household has decided to join the smoke pollution party. There were smoky patches of air all over the place this evening. The temperature was 70 degrees when I was out. The smoke may have been from bonfires or recreational fireplace use. Does anyone need to have a fireplace going to heat their home when it is 70 degrees outside?
Our winter seemed smokier than past winters. I documented the smoky air every day this winter. I haven't decided if I am going to update the blog with the winter wood smoke conditions. You expect wood smoke in the air during the cold months. But winter is our least smoky season in the city of North St. Paul. The air in winter is much less polluted than in spring, summer, and fall.
As with most winters, there was almost never any wood smoke in the air during the morning hours or early afternoon on weekends. People need to heat their homes at 7 AM during the week, but they aren't using fireplaces to do it. The smoky air in winter occurs mainly during the evenings. Fireplaces are not used for home heating as much as for recreation. If people were using fireplaces for home heating the air would be smoky at all hours of the day.
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