5:30 PM: No wood smoke yet. Cloudy, 70 degrees at this time. A thunderstorm rolled in around 3 AM this morning. It rained in the Twin Cities until mid morning. Will the air be smoky tonight? Probably. If it isn't raining, the air will be smoky. Kids are out of school and graduation parties will be happening. We will be prisoners in our own home again. Last Friday was the smokiest of the year. It was a miserable night with heavy wood smoke that lasted well past midnight with a power outage. We had no electricity and with all the windows closed, wood smoke was coming in. Even with the current cloudy skies and cool temperature, I expect tonight to be smoky as well. The weather forecast calls for the chance of isolated thunderstorms late tonight and early Saturday morning. All I can do is hope it starts raining around 8 PM. The rain is the only thing that can save us from heavy wood smoke pollution.
7:30 PM: No smoke yet.
8:30 PM: Faint grass smoke. This is the third evening in a row somebody has burned grass between 7:30 and 8:30 PM. With the grass smoke as faint as it is, the burner is burning a small amount or is far away. Cloudy, 65 degrees, looks like it may rain at any time.
We are prepared for a brutal night of smoky air in North St. Paul, MN. As soon as we smell it coming in, all the windows are getting closed.
9:05 PM: Very faint wood smoke. It did not last too long.
10:20 PM: No real smoke outside. There is something in the air. It isn't enough to force us to close the windows.
There was no wood smoke strong enough to require the windows to be closed this evening. We were fortunate.
Recreational Fires Must Be Eliminated
Do you support clean air? Click the Facebook Like button if you have a Facebook account.
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!
| Share |
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!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Thursday 06/10/2010 Air Pollution
12:35 AM: Light wood smoke continues. Cannot open windows. We did enjoy three evenings in a row without wood smoke pollution. That is about all you can hope for in North St. Paul, Minnesota. 60 degrees at this time.
2:00 AM: Faint to light wood smoke continues.
4:00 AM: A faint wood smokiness lingers in the air.
6:00 AM: Fresh air!
6:15 PM: No wood smoke yet. Cloudy, cool, 65 degrees measured at North High School. It was supposed to rain today. Most of it missed us. We had a couple spots with a few drops of rain. Not much. Will tonight be another smoky hell? Schools are letting out for the summer. It only gets worse from here.
7:38 PM: Faint grass smoke coming in the window. Whoever is burning grass, I cannot determine their direction because the wind is shifting directions every few seconds. The grass smoke did not last more than a couple of minutes. Yesterday, the grass smoke started faintly, disappeared, then got pretty strong. I hope the same does not happen tonight. Cloudy, a little windy at this time.
8:05 PM: A very faint trace of something is in the air.
8:35 PM: Very faint grass smoke.
9:00: No smoke.
9:45 PM: A very faint smokiness of some type is in the air. It smells like wood smoke.
10:30 PM: No wood smoke.
11:15 PM: No wood smoke. Off to bed.
11:55 PM: No wood smoke.
We had a little smoke from burning grass this evening. But no real wood smoke. I cannot complain too much. Around 3 AM, a thunderstorm moved into the area. I felt it was safe to open the bedroom windows at that time.
2:00 AM: Faint to light wood smoke continues.
4:00 AM: A faint wood smokiness lingers in the air.
6:00 AM: Fresh air!
6:15 PM: No wood smoke yet. Cloudy, cool, 65 degrees measured at North High School. It was supposed to rain today. Most of it missed us. We had a couple spots with a few drops of rain. Not much. Will tonight be another smoky hell? Schools are letting out for the summer. It only gets worse from here.
7:38 PM: Faint grass smoke coming in the window. Whoever is burning grass, I cannot determine their direction because the wind is shifting directions every few seconds. The grass smoke did not last more than a couple of minutes. Yesterday, the grass smoke started faintly, disappeared, then got pretty strong. I hope the same does not happen tonight. Cloudy, a little windy at this time.
8:05 PM: A very faint trace of something is in the air.
8:35 PM: Very faint grass smoke.
9:00: No smoke.
9:45 PM: A very faint smokiness of some type is in the air. It smells like wood smoke.
10:30 PM: No wood smoke.
11:15 PM: No wood smoke. Off to bed.
11:55 PM: No wood smoke.
We had a little smoke from burning grass this evening. But no real wood smoke. I cannot complain too much. Around 3 AM, a thunderstorm moved into the area. I felt it was safe to open the bedroom windows at that time.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Wednesday 06/09/2010 Air Pollution
6:30 PM: No wood smoke yet. It is a nice and cool evening. 71 degrees and sunny with some clouds.
8:20 PM: Very faint grass smoke. I smelled it coming in the window. I went outside and did not smell it.
8:30 PM: Light to moderate grass smoke. I knew I smelled burning grass earlier. I would prefer the burning of grass to be legal and the burning of wood to be illegal. Close all the windows.
8:40 PM: Moderate grass smoke. The yard waste burner cannot be far away. I am not sure of the direction. The wind seems to be changing directions in the backyard. I've smelled grass smoke more than a half mile from its source. It can travel quite a distance. If all that is burned tonight is some grass, we will be fortunate. 67 degrees and a nice evening except for the grass smoke.
8:45 PM: Moderate grass smoke continues.
9:00 PM: Moderately strong wood smoke now. It is very smoky outside. I hate this city and the city council that forces us to breathe smoky, polluted air.
9:15 PM: Light wood smoke. My hunch is that the person who was burning grass also burned wood to hide what he was doing.
9:30 PM: Light wood smoke continues.
9:45 PM: The air is mostly clear.
10:15 PM: Light wood smoke. It did not go away.
10:35 PM: Faint to light wood smoke.
10:50 PM: Very faint wood smoke.
11:05 PM: Light wood smoke.
11:40 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke continues.
Smoky air continues past midnight.
8:20 PM: Very faint grass smoke. I smelled it coming in the window. I went outside and did not smell it.
8:30 PM: Light to moderate grass smoke. I knew I smelled burning grass earlier. I would prefer the burning of grass to be legal and the burning of wood to be illegal. Close all the windows.
8:40 PM: Moderate grass smoke. The yard waste burner cannot be far away. I am not sure of the direction. The wind seems to be changing directions in the backyard. I've smelled grass smoke more than a half mile from its source. It can travel quite a distance. If all that is burned tonight is some grass, we will be fortunate. 67 degrees and a nice evening except for the grass smoke.
8:45 PM: Moderate grass smoke continues.
9:00 PM: Moderately strong wood smoke now. It is very smoky outside. I hate this city and the city council that forces us to breathe smoky, polluted air.
9:15 PM: Light wood smoke. My hunch is that the person who was burning grass also burned wood to hide what he was doing.
9:30 PM: Light wood smoke continues.
9:45 PM: The air is mostly clear.
10:15 PM: Light wood smoke. It did not go away.
10:35 PM: Faint to light wood smoke.
10:50 PM: Very faint wood smoke.
11:05 PM: Light wood smoke.
11:40 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke continues.
Smoky air continues past midnight.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Tuesday 06/08/2010 Air Pollution
4:30 PM: No wood smoke. Drizzling rain at this time. It rained most of the day. I am hopeful we will have our third evening in a row without wood smoke pollution because of the rain. 68 degrees.
6:30 PM: No wood smoke. The rain has stopped. The ground is all wet. The sky continues to be cloudy. Will the damp ground discourage bonfire burners?
There was no wood smoke this evening. We were blessed to have our third evening in a row without wood smoke pollution. Normally this time of year, the air is smoky almost every evening. Schools are starting summer break. It will get worse soon.
6:30 PM: No wood smoke. The rain has stopped. The ground is all wet. The sky continues to be cloudy. Will the damp ground discourage bonfire burners?
There was no wood smoke this evening. We were blessed to have our third evening in a row without wood smoke pollution. Normally this time of year, the air is smoky almost every evening. Schools are starting summer break. It will get worse soon.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Monday 06/07/2010 Air Pollution
4:10 PM: No wood smoke. 78 degrees, partly sunny. It has been a pretty nice day so far. There is a chance of rain this evening. I sure hope it rains. Rain provides the only guarantee of fresh air in this town. Anybody can start burning at any time. Air polluters have all the rights. We have none.
6:00 PM: No wood smoke. Mostly cloudy.
7:00 PM: No wood smoke.
8:15 PM: No real smoke. There is a very faint trace of something in the air.
9:30 PM: No wood smoke. Will we have our second evening of fresh air in a row? 70 degrees.
There was no wood smoke this evening. It was a wonderful evening of mostly fresh air.
6:00 PM: No wood smoke. Mostly cloudy.
7:00 PM: No wood smoke.
8:15 PM: No real smoke. There is a very faint trace of something in the air.
9:30 PM: No wood smoke. Will we have our second evening of fresh air in a row? 70 degrees.
There was no wood smoke this evening. It was a wonderful evening of mostly fresh air.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
About Me & Contacting Me
Thank you for visiting my blog about North Saint Paul, Minnesota. I have been documenting the horrible air pollution problem in this city for over two years now. I started this blog to create a public document about the conditions we endure as residents of this town.
As you can see, we have a terrible wood smoke problem in North St. Paul that our city council has refused to address. Even though most households do not burn wood recreationally, our four city council members have sided with the small percentage of households that choose to pollute the air that all the rest of us -- including children and many long-time elderly residents -- have to breathe. One small bonfire can smoke up an entire neighborhood, creating a nuisance and health hazard for hundreds or perhaps thousands of people. According to city ordinance, wood burners have the right to burn for recreational purposes from 4 PM to 11 PM all seven days of the week. You and I have no right to breathe at all. This is not right.
North St. Paul was a nice place to live with almost no wood smoke in the late 1990s. It is hell on earth now. It is not solely the area I live in that is smoky. Wood smoke is a problem across the entire city. From time to time, I venture into other neighborhoods looking for wood smoke. If the weather is nice, I never have a problem finding it. All I do is follow my nose. Many times, I have tracked wood smoke up to a half mile to its source from where I originally smelled it.
If you are a resident of North St. Paul, MN, or live elsewhere and are concerned about wood smoke pollution, please feel free to contact me at the email address below.
My email address: northsaintpaulresident@gmail.com
I look forward to hearing from you.
As you can see, we have a terrible wood smoke problem in North St. Paul that our city council has refused to address. Even though most households do not burn wood recreationally, our four city council members have sided with the small percentage of households that choose to pollute the air that all the rest of us -- including children and many long-time elderly residents -- have to breathe. One small bonfire can smoke up an entire neighborhood, creating a nuisance and health hazard for hundreds or perhaps thousands of people. According to city ordinance, wood burners have the right to burn for recreational purposes from 4 PM to 11 PM all seven days of the week. You and I have no right to breathe at all. This is not right.
North St. Paul was a nice place to live with almost no wood smoke in the late 1990s. It is hell on earth now. It is not solely the area I live in that is smoky. Wood smoke is a problem across the entire city. From time to time, I venture into other neighborhoods looking for wood smoke. If the weather is nice, I never have a problem finding it. All I do is follow my nose. Many times, I have tracked wood smoke up to a half mile to its source from where I originally smelled it.
If you are a resident of North St. Paul, MN, or live elsewhere and are concerned about wood smoke pollution, please feel free to contact me at the email address below.
My email address: northsaintpaulresident@gmail.com
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sunday 06/06/2010 Air Pollution
12:25 AM: Moderately strong wood smoke continues. The air outside is very smoky. This will be another night we have to go to bed with the windows closed because the air is so polluted. Truth be told, we have to go to bed every night with the windows closed. Late night burning happens often in this town. It is very common for wood smoke to start in the early evening and continue until 3 or 4 AM, sometimes later. You never know who will start a bonfire at 1 AM. There is nothing worse than waking up at 1 AM choking on smoky air in the middle of the work week. Once the wood smoke gets inside the house, there is no getting rid of it. You are stuck breathing smoky, polluted air inside the house all night long. The wood smoke gets into your clothes, bedding, and any other fabric making the odor linger for a long time.
6:00 AM: Fresh air! Thank God! We can finally open the windows and enjoy the cool, unpolluted air. Maybe we will get 12 more hours of uninterrupted fresh air today with the exception of grass burners.
2:10 PM: A few drops of rain just fell. The sky is mostly cloudy. The weather forecast calls for a chance of spotty rain showers. Let's hope it rains so we can get some relief from this terrible wood smoke pollution in North St. Paul. After the heavy wood smoke of the past two nights, we could use a break. 76 degrees.
2:18 PM: Faint grass smoke. Right after I published the first draft of this post grass smoke started coming in the window. It did not last more than a few minutes. Somebody is always burning something in this town.
7:00 PM: No wood smoke yet. It is an absolutely gorgeous evening likely to be ruined by wood smoke. Last Sunday, there was no real wood smoke in the air other than a little grass or wood smoke around 7 PM. We were lucky then. It rained a little and there was some thunder. Sundays tend to be one of the smokiest days of the week. We are going to sit outside for a while and enjoy the evening. It rained earlier around 3:30 PM. The clouds cleared out before 5 PM. Cool and sunny at this time, 70 degrees.
8:30 PM: No wood smoke.
9:00 PM: A very faint wood smoke is coming in on the breeze out of the east. It did not last long.
10:00 PM: Still no wood smoke.
11:00 PM: No wood smoke.
Midnight: No wood smoke.
We made it an entire evening without wood smoke pollution! We had a little grass smoke earlier in the afternoon and a trace of wood smoke around 9 PM which did not last more than a few minutes. After the prior two smoky nights, we deserve this breathable air. You will not realize the importance of fresh, unpolluted air until you spend some time in North St. Paul.
6:00 AM: Fresh air! Thank God! We can finally open the windows and enjoy the cool, unpolluted air. Maybe we will get 12 more hours of uninterrupted fresh air today with the exception of grass burners.
2:10 PM: A few drops of rain just fell. The sky is mostly cloudy. The weather forecast calls for a chance of spotty rain showers. Let's hope it rains so we can get some relief from this terrible wood smoke pollution in North St. Paul. After the heavy wood smoke of the past two nights, we could use a break. 76 degrees.
2:18 PM: Faint grass smoke. Right after I published the first draft of this post grass smoke started coming in the window. It did not last more than a few minutes. Somebody is always burning something in this town.
7:00 PM: No wood smoke yet. It is an absolutely gorgeous evening likely to be ruined by wood smoke. Last Sunday, there was no real wood smoke in the air other than a little grass or wood smoke around 7 PM. We were lucky then. It rained a little and there was some thunder. Sundays tend to be one of the smokiest days of the week. We are going to sit outside for a while and enjoy the evening. It rained earlier around 3:30 PM. The clouds cleared out before 5 PM. Cool and sunny at this time, 70 degrees.
8:30 PM: No wood smoke.
9:00 PM: A very faint wood smoke is coming in on the breeze out of the east. It did not last long.
10:00 PM: Still no wood smoke.
11:00 PM: No wood smoke.
Midnight: No wood smoke.
We made it an entire evening without wood smoke pollution! We had a little grass smoke earlier in the afternoon and a trace of wood smoke around 9 PM which did not last more than a few minutes. After the prior two smoky nights, we deserve this breathable air. You will not realize the importance of fresh, unpolluted air until you spend some time in North St. Paul.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Saturday 06/05/2010 Air Pollution
We are prisoners trapped in a smoky hell called North St. Paul!
12:40 AM: Power outage. Just great! The air is still very smoky outside! We cannot open the windows! Now we are without electricity. That means no air conditioning. No fans. Nothing but warm, stuffy, sweaty darkness. Light to moderate wood smoke at this time. The air outside is still really smoky. You don't want this polluted air in your bedroom.
Thank you very much, North St. Paul. You made a typical nightmare evening in this hellish town all that much worse.
2:05 AM: Moderate wood smoke continues. The air outside is still very smoky. The air reeks. You will get sick to your stomach if you breathe this toxic, polluted air for more than a few minutes. The power is still out! When will this torture end?
3:06 AM: The electricity is back on! Finally, we can get the air conditioning running again. It is cool outside. The temperature must be in the mid 60s. But we still cannot open the windows because of the smoky air. Light to moderate wood smoke at this time.
10:30 AM: A very faint trace of wood smoke is in the air. Thank you, North St. Paul. Since I did not get to sleep until well after 3 AM, my whole morning is gone. After last night's marathon wood smoke pollution, it is not very nice to wake up and find wood smoke still in the air! Whoever was burning last night, and it was probably more than one household, left their wood to smolder all night.
12:30 PM: A very faint trace of wood smoke continues. I can smell it without any difficulty. It isn't much, and isn't enough to discourage me from having the windows open, but the air is unpleasant and unclean. A brief sprinkle of rain fell prior to this time. Drizzling rain continues. 71 degrees, cloudy, and I hope it rains tonight. I don't know if we can handle another night like last night.
Do you want to live in a city like this?
It rained most of the afternoon. The rain stopped around 5 PM. It is cool and damp. Will we get a break from the wood smoke tonight?
6:00 PM: No wood smoke. Sunny at this time. Around 62 degrees.
7:50 PM: A very faint trace of some type of smokiness is in the air. It could be a grill or a bonfire.
8:30 PM: No smoke in the air.
9:05 PM: A very faint trace of wood smoke is in the air. It isn't enough to require the windows to be closed. But I can smell it when I step outside.
9:20 PM: Very faint trace of wood smoke continues.
9:33 PM: Moderate wood smoke. It is very smoky outside! I was hoping we would catch a break from the wood smoke tonight after last night's intense air pollution. No such luck. There rarely is in North St. Paul. I hate this city. I wish I never lived here. This town is a nightmare! 62 degrees.
10:25 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. It varies in intensity with the breeze.
11:00 PM: Light wood smoke.
11:30 PM: Faint to light wood smoke.
11:50 PM: Moderate wood smoke. It's very smoky outside. As it was yesterday, we can smell wood smoke coming in with all the windows and doors closed! These houses in this area are 40 years old. There are bound to be hairline gaps and cracks where air infiltration can occur. I can smell wood smoke coming in around our windows and a spot in the basement foundation.
Tonight's onslaught of wood smoke pollution continued after midnight. According to city ordinance, recreational burning is supposed to cease at 11 PM. It never does and the city makes no effort to enforce it. But, do you want to breathe smoky air at 7 PM any more than you do at midnight or 3 AM? I don't. Smoky, polluted air is a nuisance and public health hazard no matter the time of day. Smoky, polluted air is a way of life in North St. Paul because of our four city council members who do not care about our health and wellbeing.
12:40 AM: Power outage. Just great! The air is still very smoky outside! We cannot open the windows! Now we are without electricity. That means no air conditioning. No fans. Nothing but warm, stuffy, sweaty darkness. Light to moderate wood smoke at this time. The air outside is still really smoky. You don't want this polluted air in your bedroom.
Thank you very much, North St. Paul. You made a typical nightmare evening in this hellish town all that much worse.
2:05 AM: Moderate wood smoke continues. The air outside is still very smoky. The air reeks. You will get sick to your stomach if you breathe this toxic, polluted air for more than a few minutes. The power is still out! When will this torture end?
3:06 AM: The electricity is back on! Finally, we can get the air conditioning running again. It is cool outside. The temperature must be in the mid 60s. But we still cannot open the windows because of the smoky air. Light to moderate wood smoke at this time.
10:30 AM: A very faint trace of wood smoke is in the air. Thank you, North St. Paul. Since I did not get to sleep until well after 3 AM, my whole morning is gone. After last night's marathon wood smoke pollution, it is not very nice to wake up and find wood smoke still in the air! Whoever was burning last night, and it was probably more than one household, left their wood to smolder all night.
12:30 PM: A very faint trace of wood smoke continues. I can smell it without any difficulty. It isn't much, and isn't enough to discourage me from having the windows open, but the air is unpleasant and unclean. A brief sprinkle of rain fell prior to this time. Drizzling rain continues. 71 degrees, cloudy, and I hope it rains tonight. I don't know if we can handle another night like last night.
Do you want to live in a city like this?
It rained most of the afternoon. The rain stopped around 5 PM. It is cool and damp. Will we get a break from the wood smoke tonight?
6:00 PM: No wood smoke. Sunny at this time. Around 62 degrees.
7:50 PM: A very faint trace of some type of smokiness is in the air. It could be a grill or a bonfire.
8:30 PM: No smoke in the air.
9:05 PM: A very faint trace of wood smoke is in the air. It isn't enough to require the windows to be closed. But I can smell it when I step outside.
9:20 PM: Very faint trace of wood smoke continues.
9:33 PM: Moderate wood smoke. It is very smoky outside! I was hoping we would catch a break from the wood smoke tonight after last night's intense air pollution. No such luck. There rarely is in North St. Paul. I hate this city. I wish I never lived here. This town is a nightmare! 62 degrees.
10:25 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. It varies in intensity with the breeze.
11:00 PM: Light wood smoke.
11:30 PM: Faint to light wood smoke.
11:50 PM: Moderate wood smoke. It's very smoky outside. As it was yesterday, we can smell wood smoke coming in with all the windows and doors closed! These houses in this area are 40 years old. There are bound to be hairline gaps and cracks where air infiltration can occur. I can smell wood smoke coming in around our windows and a spot in the basement foundation.
Tonight's onslaught of wood smoke pollution continued after midnight. According to city ordinance, recreational burning is supposed to cease at 11 PM. It never does and the city makes no effort to enforce it. But, do you want to breathe smoky air at 7 PM any more than you do at midnight or 3 AM? I don't. Smoky, polluted air is a nuisance and public health hazard no matter the time of day. Smoky, polluted air is a way of life in North St. Paul because of our four city council members who do not care about our health and wellbeing.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Friday 06/04/2010 Air Pollution
I see visitors are finding this blog by searching for "Crazy Days". It was renamed "Slice of Summer". I wanted to mention it so more people will find this blog.
The wood smoke has started early this Friday evening. As always when the weather is nice, this is going to be another smoky hell of an evening in North St. Paul, MN.
4:20 PM: No wood smoke. 82 degrees, sunny, beautiful.
6:00 PM: No wood smoke.
7:00 PM: Light wood smoke at this time. First the lighter fluid, then the wood smoke. I went out and found the culprit. It's the same household that burns between this time several times a week. They took a break for a week or two, but the break is over. A huge cloud of smoke of wood smoke is coming from their yard right now. They live about 500 feet from city council member Jan Walczak. I hope she can smell the wood smoke. She loves smoky air. 83 degrees at this time and getting smokier.
This turned out to be one of the smokiest nights in a long time.
8:00 PM: Faint wood smoke.
8:12 PM: Light wood smoke.
8:55 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. It is really smoky outside.
9:10 PM: Moderate wood smoke. Now it is very smoky outside. The intensity of the wood smoke increased in 15 minutes.
10:00 PM: Faint to light wood smoke. The poisonous North St. Paul air is decreasing in toxicity.
10:15 PM: Faint wood smoke. We are heading in the right direction, thank God!
11:20 PM: Moderate to strong wood smoke. It is extremely smoky outside right now. It is so smoky, I can smell wood smoke coming in with all the windows and doors closed up tight.
11:45 PM: Strong wood smoke! The wood smoke is so heavy it cannot get much stronger! This air is not fit for human consumption. Just sticking my head out the door for a few seconds left me smelling like wood smoke. I have to bathe and change clothes before bed. We again are tortured by our city council all of whom support this wood smoke pollution.
To make matters much worse, the power went out after midnight. We were trapped in a warm stuffy house with no electricity. Do you want to live in a city like this?
The wood smoke has started early this Friday evening. As always when the weather is nice, this is going to be another smoky hell of an evening in North St. Paul, MN.
4:20 PM: No wood smoke. 82 degrees, sunny, beautiful.
6:00 PM: No wood smoke.
7:00 PM: Light wood smoke at this time. First the lighter fluid, then the wood smoke. I went out and found the culprit. It's the same household that burns between this time several times a week. They took a break for a week or two, but the break is over. A huge cloud of smoke of wood smoke is coming from their yard right now. They live about 500 feet from city council member Jan Walczak. I hope she can smell the wood smoke. She loves smoky air. 83 degrees at this time and getting smokier.
This turned out to be one of the smokiest nights in a long time.
8:00 PM: Faint wood smoke.
8:12 PM: Light wood smoke.
8:55 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. It is really smoky outside.
9:10 PM: Moderate wood smoke. Now it is very smoky outside. The intensity of the wood smoke increased in 15 minutes.
10:00 PM: Faint to light wood smoke. The poisonous North St. Paul air is decreasing in toxicity.
10:15 PM: Faint wood smoke. We are heading in the right direction, thank God!
11:20 PM: Moderate to strong wood smoke. It is extremely smoky outside right now. It is so smoky, I can smell wood smoke coming in with all the windows and doors closed up tight.
11:45 PM: Strong wood smoke! The wood smoke is so heavy it cannot get much stronger! This air is not fit for human consumption. Just sticking my head out the door for a few seconds left me smelling like wood smoke. I have to bathe and change clothes before bed. We again are tortured by our city council all of whom support this wood smoke pollution.
To make matters much worse, the power went out after midnight. We were trapped in a warm stuffy house with no electricity. Do you want to live in a city like this?
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Thursday 06/03/2010 Air Pollution
7:30 PM: No wood smoke. I am confident there will be, as there almost always is. I do not know if the impending rain storm will discourage recreational bonfire air polluters tonight. As of this moment, the sky is cloudy and rain clouds are moving in. It is not supposed to rain until after midnight, according to Chikage Windler at KSTP-TV news. 76 degrees at this time measured at North High School. It is a pleasant, smoke-free evening so far. I will not be disappointed if it starts raining earlier than midnight if it means our air won't be smoky.
There was no wood smoke where we live this evening. We got lucky! But there was wood smoke elsewhere in North St. Paul. Somebody is always burning something in this town. You do not have to look hard to find smoky, polluted air in this city. Polluted air isn't unusual. What is unusual is when the air isn't polluted in the evenings.
1) Light to moderate wood smoke at the location of the first marker just south of St. Mary's Cemetary. I could not locate the source of the wood smoke and could not determine if it was coming from the North St. Paul or the Maplewood side of the street. I first smelled wood smoke at Lydia & Helen and it was strongest at the area of the marker with no wood smoke to the south. The breeze seemed to be blowing north this evening.
2) A very faint trace of wood smoke at this location. With the breeze out of the south, it is possible that it could have been from the source labeled number three. I smelled wood smoke at location two, lost it, and picked it up again by the dock on the lake.
3) Light to moderate wood smoke at this location. It was a little smoky on 18th between Henry & Charles. As I proceeded down on Charles toward Silver Lake Market, it got smokier. As far as bonfires go, this must have been a small one. I could not pinpoint the house that was producing the wood smoke. I did notice a yellow glow from a backyard on the northeast corner of 17th & Charles. But I could not determine if the glow was from a bonfire or from one of the lights on the back of the house as they were on at the time. It was also smoky in this area this past Monday. In 2008, this was the smokiest area of the city. There must be a frequent burner over here.
It did not take more than five minutes for me to find smoky air this evening. Wood, grass, leaves, somebody is always burning something.
A few drops of rain fell around 9:30 PM for a few minutes. It rained a little more about 11:30 PM. The rain continued lightly after midnight. Normally, it would have been smoky where we live. The incoming rain could have discouraged some backyard bonfire polluters. But it did not discourage all of them.
There was no wood smoke where we live this evening. We got lucky! But there was wood smoke elsewhere in North St. Paul. Somebody is always burning something in this town. You do not have to look hard to find smoky, polluted air in this city. Polluted air isn't unusual. What is unusual is when the air isn't polluted in the evenings.
1) Light to moderate wood smoke at the location of the first marker just south of St. Mary's Cemetary. I could not locate the source of the wood smoke and could not determine if it was coming from the North St. Paul or the Maplewood side of the street. I first smelled wood smoke at Lydia & Helen and it was strongest at the area of the marker with no wood smoke to the south. The breeze seemed to be blowing north this evening.
2) A very faint trace of wood smoke at this location. With the breeze out of the south, it is possible that it could have been from the source labeled number three. I smelled wood smoke at location two, lost it, and picked it up again by the dock on the lake.
3) Light to moderate wood smoke at this location. It was a little smoky on 18th between Henry & Charles. As I proceeded down on Charles toward Silver Lake Market, it got smokier. As far as bonfires go, this must have been a small one. I could not pinpoint the house that was producing the wood smoke. I did notice a yellow glow from a backyard on the northeast corner of 17th & Charles. But I could not determine if the glow was from a bonfire or from one of the lights on the back of the house as they were on at the time. It was also smoky in this area this past Monday. In 2008, this was the smokiest area of the city. There must be a frequent burner over here.
It did not take more than five minutes for me to find smoky air this evening. Wood, grass, leaves, somebody is always burning something.
A few drops of rain fell around 9:30 PM for a few minutes. It rained a little more about 11:30 PM. The rain continued lightly after midnight. Normally, it would have been smoky where we live. The incoming rain could have discouraged some backyard bonfire polluters. But it did not discourage all of them.
Wednesday 06/02/2010 Air Pollution
There was no wood smoke this evening. But we did have some pretty nasty grass smoke late in the evening. As I have said many times before, if people are not burning wood in this city, they are burning yard waste.
4:00 PM: No wood smoke. Only fresh air like human beings deserve, even if our city council does not think so. 70 degrees, mostly cloudy.
6:30 PM: No wood smoke. Sunny, 73 degrees.
7:30 PM: A very faint trace of some type of smoke is in the air. It is not strong enough to tell what it is.
8:30 PM: A very faint trace of some type of smoke continues. I can easily determine the air is not fresh even if I cannot identify the type of pollutant.
10:40 PM: No wood smoke. The air is fresh.
11:05 PM: Grass smoke. Somebody is burning grass! The grass smoke started out faintly then achieved a light to moderate level within minutes. Grass smoke usually does not get that strong. I do not know who is burning the grass. I stepped outside before it got too strong and looked around and saw nobody nearby burning. There is only one household I know of that burns grass late at night. They do it often. They know grass burning is illegal and they do it under cover of darkness sometimes. Usually, they burn wood and burn their yard waste with it. I am in no mood to drive up to the house to verify it is them when I am getting ready for bed.
The stench of burning grass lasted about 20 minutes. Around 11:30 PM, the air was mostly clear with a faint hint of grass smoke remaining. At midnight, the air was fresh and clear -- as it should be. They have burned grass after midnight before. I am sure they will do it again. We must sleep with the windows closed as always.
Do you want to live in a city like this?
4:00 PM: No wood smoke. Only fresh air like human beings deserve, even if our city council does not think so. 70 degrees, mostly cloudy.
6:30 PM: No wood smoke. Sunny, 73 degrees.
7:30 PM: A very faint trace of some type of smoke is in the air. It is not strong enough to tell what it is.
8:30 PM: A very faint trace of some type of smoke continues. I can easily determine the air is not fresh even if I cannot identify the type of pollutant.
10:40 PM: No wood smoke. The air is fresh.
11:05 PM: Grass smoke. Somebody is burning grass! The grass smoke started out faintly then achieved a light to moderate level within minutes. Grass smoke usually does not get that strong. I do not know who is burning the grass. I stepped outside before it got too strong and looked around and saw nobody nearby burning. There is only one household I know of that burns grass late at night. They do it often. They know grass burning is illegal and they do it under cover of darkness sometimes. Usually, they burn wood and burn their yard waste with it. I am in no mood to drive up to the house to verify it is them when I am getting ready for bed.
The stench of burning grass lasted about 20 minutes. Around 11:30 PM, the air was mostly clear with a faint hint of grass smoke remaining. At midnight, the air was fresh and clear -- as it should be. They have burned grass after midnight before. I am sure they will do it again. We must sleep with the windows closed as always.
Do you want to live in a city like this?
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tuesday 06/01/2010 Air Pollution
It may not be the official start of summer, but summer starts with June for me. What does summer bring us? Smoky air!
Polluted air is a way of life in North Saint Paul, Minnesota. Summer is smokier than winter around these parts. When the kids get out of school for the summer, the wood smoke gets even worse.
7:00 PM: No wood smoke yet. 76 degrees. It was windy earlier around 3 PM and looked as if it might rain. Unfortunately, it did not. No rain and temperatures in the 70s means with near certainty that this will be another smoky, polluted evening in North St. Paul. As soon as I smell smoke coming in, the windows are getting closed.
There was no wood smoke this evening. It rained lightly around 11:30 PM. I last checked the air at midnight and it was free of wood smoke pollution. We will gladly take any evening we can get without smoky air.
Polluted air is a way of life in North Saint Paul, Minnesota. Summer is smokier than winter around these parts. When the kids get out of school for the summer, the wood smoke gets even worse.
7:00 PM: No wood smoke yet. 76 degrees. It was windy earlier around 3 PM and looked as if it might rain. Unfortunately, it did not. No rain and temperatures in the 70s means with near certainty that this will be another smoky, polluted evening in North St. Paul. As soon as I smell smoke coming in, the windows are getting closed.
There was no wood smoke this evening. It rained lightly around 11:30 PM. I last checked the air at midnight and it was free of wood smoke pollution. We will gladly take any evening we can get without smoky air.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Monday 05/31/2010 Air Pollution
It is a beautiful Memorial Day. It is another smoky evening in North St. Paul, MN.
About 1 PM: There was a little grass smoke in the early afternoon. I failed to record the time.
5:00 PM: Faint grass smoke at this time coming in on the breeze. Somebody is burning yard waste. I smelled it coming in the window at the dinner table. Close the windows. One room smells faintly like grass smoke. The duration of the grass smoke was about 20 minutes. The illegal yard waste burner was not near us. It could have been someone blocks away.
6:00 PM: No smoke at this time. Sunny, beautiful, 79 degrees.
Tonight, the air will likely be filled with the stench of burning wood. It is a perfect evening for polluting the air.
8:00 PM: No wood smoke.
8:05 PM: Faint to light wood smoke at this time. The air was clear just a few minutes ago. The wood smoke is blowing in on the wind. Nobody near us is burning. You know the drill. Close the windows!
8:30 PM: Faint wood smoke blowing in on the wind continues.
9:00 PM: Light wood smoke.
9:15 PM: At this time I went out looking for wood smoke. It was faintly smoky on the southern edge of Silver Lake. Back on 18th between Charles & Henry, the wood smoke was stronger. Somebody nearby is burning, possibly on that row of houses or further south beyond 17th. Over on 19th & Margaret, there was faint wood smoke, but it did not smell like the wood smoke I encountered further east. I also encountered another type of wood smoke near 18th & Helen.
9:40 PM: Back home. The air smells faintly like burning paper. It isn't wood smoke.
10:05 PM: The air is mostly clear. Open the windows.
10:45 PM: The air is clear.
11:30 PM: No smoke of any kind.
On a side note, I was appalled to see the garbage cans overflowing with refuse at Silver Lake. The lake gets busy with picnickers on holidays. The garbage was piled high above the waste receptacles. Garbage was scattered on the ground near the garbage containers as well. If people using the park for picnics bring the refuse, maybe they should take it home with them and dispose of it properly instead of littering our park.
About 1 PM: There was a little grass smoke in the early afternoon. I failed to record the time.
5:00 PM: Faint grass smoke at this time coming in on the breeze. Somebody is burning yard waste. I smelled it coming in the window at the dinner table. Close the windows. One room smells faintly like grass smoke. The duration of the grass smoke was about 20 minutes. The illegal yard waste burner was not near us. It could have been someone blocks away.
6:00 PM: No smoke at this time. Sunny, beautiful, 79 degrees.
Tonight, the air will likely be filled with the stench of burning wood. It is a perfect evening for polluting the air.
8:00 PM: No wood smoke.
8:05 PM: Faint to light wood smoke at this time. The air was clear just a few minutes ago. The wood smoke is blowing in on the wind. Nobody near us is burning. You know the drill. Close the windows!
8:30 PM: Faint wood smoke blowing in on the wind continues.
9:00 PM: Light wood smoke.
9:15 PM: At this time I went out looking for wood smoke. It was faintly smoky on the southern edge of Silver Lake. Back on 18th between Charles & Henry, the wood smoke was stronger. Somebody nearby is burning, possibly on that row of houses or further south beyond 17th. Over on 19th & Margaret, there was faint wood smoke, but it did not smell like the wood smoke I encountered further east. I also encountered another type of wood smoke near 18th & Helen.
9:40 PM: Back home. The air smells faintly like burning paper. It isn't wood smoke.
10:05 PM: The air is mostly clear. Open the windows.
10:45 PM: The air is clear.
11:30 PM: No smoke of any kind.
On a side note, I was appalled to see the garbage cans overflowing with refuse at Silver Lake. The lake gets busy with picnickers on holidays. The garbage was piled high above the waste receptacles. Garbage was scattered on the ground near the garbage containers as well. If people using the park for picnics bring the refuse, maybe they should take it home with them and dispose of it properly instead of littering our park.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Sunday 05/30/2010 Air Pollution
1:15 PM: A faint grass smoke is in the air at this time. Somebody is burning grass. If people aren't burning wood in this town they are burning grass! 81 degrees, it feels a little humid.
3:40 PM: No smoke. Light rain now. It was 77 degrees prior to the rain.
5:00 PM: No smoke.
6:30 PM: Still no wood smoke. Gentle rumbles of thunder at this time.
6:55 PM: Faint grass or wood smoke for a minute or so.
8:00 PM: No wood smoke.
9:35 PM: No real wood smoke. There is a very faint smokiness of some type in the air. It could be highly diluted wood smoke from a distant burner or a grill or maybe vehicle exhaust fumes. While I cannot tell what type of pollutant is in the air, I can tell for sure the air is not fresh.
10:30 PM: No real smoke in the air. Bed time.
When I woke for the first time around 3 AM there was a very faint trace of some type of smokiness still in the air. Since it was not strong enough to determine it was wood smoke, this evening will count as being smoke-free.
3:40 PM: No smoke. Light rain now. It was 77 degrees prior to the rain.
5:00 PM: No smoke.
6:30 PM: Still no wood smoke. Gentle rumbles of thunder at this time.
6:55 PM: Faint grass or wood smoke for a minute or so.
8:00 PM: No wood smoke.
9:35 PM: No real wood smoke. There is a very faint smokiness of some type in the air. It could be highly diluted wood smoke from a distant burner or a grill or maybe vehicle exhaust fumes. While I cannot tell what type of pollutant is in the air, I can tell for sure the air is not fresh.
10:30 PM: No real smoke in the air. Bed time.
When I woke for the first time around 3 AM there was a very faint trace of some type of smokiness still in the air. Since it was not strong enough to determine it was wood smoke, this evening will count as being smoke-free.
Saturday 05/29/2010 Air Pollution
It was another smoky evening. I did not stay up late so I do not know how bad it got.
4:00 PM: No wood smoke. The air conditioning is on, so the windows are not open. I will not notice any grass burning today.
5:00 PM: No wood smoke. 92 degrees.
8:30 PM: No wood smoke yet.
9:50 PM: Very faint wood smoke. Somebody in the distance is burning wood. It is still very warm outside, about 88 degrees. I did not think there would be recreational bonfire burning tonight.
10:30 PM: A light mixture of wood and grass smoke. Off to bed. Last check of the evening.
4:00 PM: No wood smoke. The air conditioning is on, so the windows are not open. I will not notice any grass burning today.
5:00 PM: No wood smoke. 92 degrees.
8:30 PM: No wood smoke yet.
9:50 PM: Very faint wood smoke. Somebody in the distance is burning wood. It is still very warm outside, about 88 degrees. I did not think there would be recreational bonfire burning tonight.
10:30 PM: A light mixture of wood and grass smoke. Off to bed. Last check of the evening.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Friday 05/28/2010 Air Pollution
It's a holiday weekend. The air has to be smoky. The air is smoky every evening unless it rains or is too hot or cold. So, it will be a normal smoky hell of an evening.
4:30 PM: No wood smoke. There was no grass smoke all day. 86 degrees, sunny, a very fine day.
9:00 PM: No wood smoke yet. There will be. I was sitting outside at this time enjoying the nice evening air. A month from now, we will be eaten alive by mosquitoes. There are not many yet.
9:25 PM: A faint wood smoke has taken hold. Sitting outside will soon become unbearable thanks to the regular evening wood smoke, so I will have to head inside. We are prisoners in our own home again.
9:30 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. It got smoky quickly this evening. It does not appear any of our immediate neighbors is burning. It could be someone a block or two away, or more. 76 degrees.
It's another smoky hell of an evening. Do you want to live in a city like this?
10:35 PM: Faint to light wood smoke. The air pollution is tapering off.
10:52 PM: Moderate to strong wood smoke. The air is very smoky right now. This is one of the smokiest nights of the spring. The wood smoke is so strong you cannot stand to breathe the air! Spending a few seconds outside will leave your clothes reeking of wood smoke like you spent hours in a smoky bar.
11:30 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke continues.
The wood smoke decreased after midnight. When I woke at 4 AM, the air was fresh. I never did find out where the smoke was coming from. I was in no mood to go out looking for it. Doing that would have required a shower and a change of clothes because I would have reeked of wood smoke from head to toe.
4:30 PM: No wood smoke. There was no grass smoke all day. 86 degrees, sunny, a very fine day.
9:00 PM: No wood smoke yet. There will be. I was sitting outside at this time enjoying the nice evening air. A month from now, we will be eaten alive by mosquitoes. There are not many yet.
9:25 PM: A faint wood smoke has taken hold. Sitting outside will soon become unbearable thanks to the regular evening wood smoke, so I will have to head inside. We are prisoners in our own home again.
9:30 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. It got smoky quickly this evening. It does not appear any of our immediate neighbors is burning. It could be someone a block or two away, or more. 76 degrees.
It's another smoky hell of an evening. Do you want to live in a city like this?
10:35 PM: Faint to light wood smoke. The air pollution is tapering off.
10:52 PM: Moderate to strong wood smoke. The air is very smoky right now. This is one of the smokiest nights of the spring. The wood smoke is so strong you cannot stand to breathe the air! Spending a few seconds outside will leave your clothes reeking of wood smoke like you spent hours in a smoky bar.
11:30 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke continues.
The wood smoke decreased after midnight. When I woke at 4 AM, the air was fresh. I never did find out where the smoke was coming from. I was in no mood to go out looking for it. Doing that would have required a shower and a change of clothes because I would have reeked of wood smoke from head to toe.
Thursday 05/27/2010 Air Pollution
There was no wood smoke this evening. Not a trace. I was home all day enjoying a long holiday weekend. There was no grass or wood smoke at all. The air was fresh all evening and all night long. Miracles do happen. I was certain tonight would be another smoky night. But it was not. It was 80 degrees at 5:30 PM, sunny, and it was not humid. It was a beautiful late spring day.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday 05/26/2010 Air Pollution
I knew with the cooler temperature it would be a smoky evening. And it was.
4:30 PM: No smoke. 79 degrees, a very nice spring day.
6:30 PM: No wood smoke.
10:45 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. It is really smoky outside. None of our nearby neighbors is burning. It could be someone a quarter of a mile away or more. I did not notice any smoke after 6:30 PM until when I fell asleep. I woke at this time to find the evening air in North St. Paul smoky as it usually is. I was not shocked in the least. If the air isn't smoky, that is what is shocking. 70 degrees at this time.
11:15 PM: A faint wood smokiness remains in the air.
Midnight: I happened to get up again around this time. The air was mostly clear.
4:30 PM: No smoke. 79 degrees, a very nice spring day.
6:30 PM: No wood smoke.
10:45 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. It is really smoky outside. None of our nearby neighbors is burning. It could be someone a quarter of a mile away or more. I did not notice any smoke after 6:30 PM until when I fell asleep. I woke at this time to find the evening air in North St. Paul smoky as it usually is. I was not shocked in the least. If the air isn't smoky, that is what is shocking. 70 degrees at this time.
11:15 PM: A faint wood smokiness remains in the air.
Midnight: I happened to get up again around this time. The air was mostly clear.
Tuesday 05/25/2010 Air Pollution
There was no wood smoke this evening. It was 87 degrees at 4 PM but not as humid as the prior couple of days. When the evening temperature is in the mid to upper 80s, bonfires are not common. It is too hot.
Monday 05/24/2010 Air Pollution
There was no wood smoke today. It was too hot to sit next to a flaming pile of wood smoking up the air. The temperature was 93 degrees at 4 PM. The high reached 95 degrees officially in the Twin Cities. It was a little muggy, too. But at least the air was fresh!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Sunday 05/23/2010 Air Pollution
12:45 AM: No wood smoke at this time. Thankfully.
5:00 AM: No wood smoke where we live. But there was a smoldering wood smoke and burnt wood smell coming from a house east of 19th & Margaret on the southern edge of Silver Lake. I could smell the wood smoke from that source very faintly at Lake Blvd. & Swan. It is likely they were the source of last night's wood smoke considering the wind pattern at the time.
10:45 AM: Faint grass smoke. I can smell it coming in the windows. Somebody somewhere is burning yard waste. Every damn day in this nightmare city somebody is burning something! Morning, noon, night, wood, grass, leaves, or whatever. Somebody is burning something every day. It was not like this back in the late 1990s. North St. Paul used to be a good place to live. Not anymore and not for several years.
11:15 AM: No smoke of any kind at this time. The grass smoke from earlier did not last long. 80 degrees at this time measured at North High School, cloudy, and humid.
There was no wood smoke this evening. It was warm and muggy. There are not as many bonfires when temperatures get into the upper 80s. The Twin Cities temperature at 9:00 PM was 86 degrees. While the air was thick with humidity, it was nice to step outside and take a deep breathe of fresh air.
5:00 AM: No wood smoke where we live. But there was a smoldering wood smoke and burnt wood smell coming from a house east of 19th & Margaret on the southern edge of Silver Lake. I could smell the wood smoke from that source very faintly at Lake Blvd. & Swan. It is likely they were the source of last night's wood smoke considering the wind pattern at the time.
10:45 AM: Faint grass smoke. I can smell it coming in the windows. Somebody somewhere is burning yard waste. Every damn day in this nightmare city somebody is burning something! Morning, noon, night, wood, grass, leaves, or whatever. Somebody is burning something every day. It was not like this back in the late 1990s. North St. Paul used to be a good place to live. Not anymore and not for several years.
11:15 AM: No smoke of any kind at this time. The grass smoke from earlier did not last long. 80 degrees at this time measured at North High School, cloudy, and humid.
There was no wood smoke this evening. It was warm and muggy. There are not as many bonfires when temperatures get into the upper 80s. The Twin Cities temperature at 9:00 PM was 86 degrees. While the air was thick with humidity, it was nice to step outside and take a deep breathe of fresh air.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Saturday 05/22/2010 Air Pollution
12:25 AM: Faint wood smoke. The air pollution is getting worse. I can hear some voices off in the distance, barely audible. They aren't on this block, I am not sure where they are. Somebody is having a backyard bonfire illegally after hours. But, the city of North St. Paul is such a smoky, horrible place to live, why not have a fire after midnight? Smoky air at 9 PM is no less of a nuisance than smoky air after midnight!
12:45 AM: Light wood smoke. It is getting smokier still. I hope city council member Jan Walczak has her windows open and is breathing smoky air in bed, if she even lives in this town.
1:00 AM: Light to moderate wood smoke. It is smokier now than it was 15 minutes ago. It is very smoky outside. Nobody is going to want to breathe this air in this nightmare town.
4:00 AM: The air is mostly fresh. Time to open the windows again.
12:22 PM: Faint grass smoke. We had a thunderstorm an hour or so ago and a good amount of rain. A little bit of drizzle is still coming down. And somebody is burning grass!
6:00 PM: No smoke. Since the grass smoke earlier, the air has been fresh. Will the air be filled with wood smoke tonight? Isn't it always? 76 degrees at this time, sunny, and a little windy.
7:00 PM: Light wood smoke for a few minutes. Then it was gone.
8:40 PM: No wood smoke.
9:15 PM: Faint variable wood smoke coming in on the wind. The burner is not near us.
9:50 PM: Faint to light wood smoke varying constantly. You can smell it for a few seconds, then it goes away for a little bit before returning. It is still a little windy. The wood burner could be a half mile away for all I know.
10:15 PM: No real wood smoke at this time.
11:30 PM: Very faint wood smoke is coming in on the breeze. It isn't much, but you can tell it is present.
Sunday morning, I was down by Silver Lake and smelled a smoldering wood smoke and burnt log smell coming from a house a couple of houses east of the intersection of 19th & Margaret. It was a faint odor of wood smoke, not just a burnt log smell. I think the wood was still smoldering. With last night's wind pattern, it is likely this was the source of the wood smoke we smelled a good distance away. At the time I passed by, the wind was blowing north. I went back around to 18th and smelled nothing. The smoke had to be coming from one of those houses on 19th or from a house directly behind.
Don't you like to smell burning wood at 5 AM?
12:45 AM: Light wood smoke. It is getting smokier still. I hope city council member Jan Walczak has her windows open and is breathing smoky air in bed, if she even lives in this town.
1:00 AM: Light to moderate wood smoke. It is smokier now than it was 15 minutes ago. It is very smoky outside. Nobody is going to want to breathe this air in this nightmare town.
4:00 AM: The air is mostly fresh. Time to open the windows again.
12:22 PM: Faint grass smoke. We had a thunderstorm an hour or so ago and a good amount of rain. A little bit of drizzle is still coming down. And somebody is burning grass!
6:00 PM: No smoke. Since the grass smoke earlier, the air has been fresh. Will the air be filled with wood smoke tonight? Isn't it always? 76 degrees at this time, sunny, and a little windy.
7:00 PM: Light wood smoke for a few minutes. Then it was gone.
8:40 PM: No wood smoke.
9:15 PM: Faint variable wood smoke coming in on the wind. The burner is not near us.
9:50 PM: Faint to light wood smoke varying constantly. You can smell it for a few seconds, then it goes away for a little bit before returning. It is still a little windy. The wood burner could be a half mile away for all I know.
10:15 PM: No real wood smoke at this time.
11:30 PM: Very faint wood smoke is coming in on the breeze. It isn't much, but you can tell it is present.
Sunday morning, I was down by Silver Lake and smelled a smoldering wood smoke and burnt log smell coming from a house a couple of houses east of the intersection of 19th & Margaret. It was a faint odor of wood smoke, not just a burnt log smell. I think the wood was still smoldering. With last night's wind pattern, it is likely this was the source of the wood smoke we smelled a good distance away. At the time I passed by, the wind was blowing north. I went back around to 18th and smelled nothing. The smoke had to be coming from one of those houses on 19th or from a house directly behind.
Don't you like to smell burning wood at 5 AM?
Friday 05/21/1010 Air Pollution
12:20 AM: Light wood smoke continues.
1:00 AM: Faint smokiness in the air.
2:00 AM: Fresh air! We can finally open the windows in this hell on earth city! It is a very uncomfortable 78 degrees inside this house. The cool air feels nice. It is not easy to sleep when it is warm and uncomfortable.
For a while, I thought we might escape this evening without wood smoke. No such luck. There never is in this town.
5:15 PM: No wood smoke. Sunny, 63 degrees at this time. There was some rain drizzle earlier this morning. None now.
7:00 PM: No wood smoke. Fresh air.
9:15 PM: A very faint trace of some type of smoke is in the air. It is not strong enough to determine what it is. But in this city, and on a Friday night, it has to be wood smoke.
9:30 PM: Very faint wood smoke in the air. Somebody off in the distance is having a bonfire. Smoky air again in this nightmare of a city!
10:15 PM: Very faint wood smoke continues.
11:00 PM: Very faint wood smoke continues.
Midnight: Very faint wood smoke continues.
It did not start getting really smoky until after midnight.
1:00 AM: Faint smokiness in the air.
2:00 AM: Fresh air! We can finally open the windows in this hell on earth city! It is a very uncomfortable 78 degrees inside this house. The cool air feels nice. It is not easy to sleep when it is warm and uncomfortable.
For a while, I thought we might escape this evening without wood smoke. No such luck. There never is in this town.
5:15 PM: No wood smoke. Sunny, 63 degrees at this time. There was some rain drizzle earlier this morning. None now.
7:00 PM: No wood smoke. Fresh air.
9:15 PM: A very faint trace of some type of smoke is in the air. It is not strong enough to determine what it is. But in this city, and on a Friday night, it has to be wood smoke.
9:30 PM: Very faint wood smoke in the air. Somebody off in the distance is having a bonfire. Smoky air again in this nightmare of a city!
10:15 PM: Very faint wood smoke continues.
11:00 PM: Very faint wood smoke continues.
Midnight: Very faint wood smoke continues.
It did not start getting really smoky until after midnight.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thursday 05/20/2010 Air Pollution
4:15 PM: No smoke. 79 degrees. The temperature reached 80 degrees a short time later. It is a beautiful day.
5:15 PM: Faint to light grass smoke. Nobody around us is burning yard waste. Somebody is. They could be blocks away. The smoke did not last more than a few minutes.
7:00 PM: No wood or grass smoke. Fresh air!
7:55 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. Somebody must be having a bonfire. I looked around. None of our immediate neighbors are having a fire. I could not see any smoke rising. It could be someone blocks away. Smoke travels quite a distance.
9:05 PM: Moderate wood smoke. It is very smoky outside! I hope the wood smoke is making its way to city council member Jan Walczak's house. She supports this horrible wood smoke pollution. 75 degrees at this time measured at North High School. This would be a very nice evening to have the windows open. But we cannot! It will probably be smoky all night long. The city of North St. Paul, MN, is a nightmare! You really cannot sit outside in wood smoke this strong. It is terrible. Your clothes will reek of smoke after a few minutes like they would if you spent several hours in a smoky bar. We are prisoners in our own home once again.
Passing through the city, I have noticed several homes being put up for sale in the past month or so. I hope anyone thinking of buying a home in this city does a little research on the internet and finds this blog. I would not want anyone else to make the same mistake we did by moving into this horrible town. If the air was smoky like this when we moved here, we never would have. Back then, the air was fresh every day. Now, living in North Saint Paul is like living in hell. Do not be lured by a good price on real estate. Smoky air every day is a nightmare. We have been lucky this spring with the rain and a few nice smoke-free days recently. But once we head into summer, it's wood smoke every evening with very few exceptions.
Living in North St. Paul is like living in hell!
11:00 PM: Moderately strong wood smoke continues. As does the misery of living in North St. Paul.
11:30 PM: Moderate wood smoke continues.
5:15 PM: Faint to light grass smoke. Nobody around us is burning yard waste. Somebody is. They could be blocks away. The smoke did not last more than a few minutes.
7:00 PM: No wood or grass smoke. Fresh air!
7:55 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. Somebody must be having a bonfire. I looked around. None of our immediate neighbors are having a fire. I could not see any smoke rising. It could be someone blocks away. Smoke travels quite a distance.
9:05 PM: Moderate wood smoke. It is very smoky outside! I hope the wood smoke is making its way to city council member Jan Walczak's house. She supports this horrible wood smoke pollution. 75 degrees at this time measured at North High School. This would be a very nice evening to have the windows open. But we cannot! It will probably be smoky all night long. The city of North St. Paul, MN, is a nightmare! You really cannot sit outside in wood smoke this strong. It is terrible. Your clothes will reek of smoke after a few minutes like they would if you spent several hours in a smoky bar. We are prisoners in our own home once again.
Passing through the city, I have noticed several homes being put up for sale in the past month or so. I hope anyone thinking of buying a home in this city does a little research on the internet and finds this blog. I would not want anyone else to make the same mistake we did by moving into this horrible town. If the air was smoky like this when we moved here, we never would have. Back then, the air was fresh every day. Now, living in North Saint Paul is like living in hell. Do not be lured by a good price on real estate. Smoky air every day is a nightmare. We have been lucky this spring with the rain and a few nice smoke-free days recently. But once we head into summer, it's wood smoke every evening with very few exceptions.
Living in North St. Paul is like living in hell!
11:00 PM: Moderately strong wood smoke continues. As does the misery of living in North St. Paul.
11:30 PM: Moderate wood smoke continues.
Wednesday 05/19/2010 Air Pollution
There was no wood smoke this evening. Miracles do happen! It was 79 degrees at 6:15 PM. A beautiful evening. The fresh air was wonderful!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
