3:30 AM: Moderate wood smoke and burnt wood odor at this time. The air outside reeks. Can't open windows. We are prisoners in our own home at 3:30 AM!
Such is life in North St. Paul, MN. This is normal. If this didn't happen on a Friday or Saturday night, it would be unusual.
5:00 AM: No burning at this time. The faint odor of burnt wood lingers in the air. Nice summer morning. Open the door to get the paper. Inhale that burnt wood stink. Ick.
Hell on earth
Welcome to hell on earth, more commonly known as North Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is going to be a smoky, miserable hell this evening with more air pollution in one night than most people should breathe in an entire year. It is a gorgeous evening, sunny, with a temperature of 77 degrees. Prime conditions for recreational air pollution.
If any of you read this before the evening is over, Navajo & 1st will be very smoky. Passing by Navajo & 1st, I saw people burning already. I have often found the area of Navajo & 1st to be very smoky but was never able to pinpoint a house doing the burning until now. Large plume of wood smoke rising from the backyard. There are several burners on Navajo and back along Hilltop. There are burners everywhere.
Other areas likely for polluted air this evening are 19th & 1st, the south edge of Silver Lake, 17th & Charles and many others -- more than I care to mention. It will be hard to find an area of the city that isn't smoky this evening. It makes living in this city miserable. Ten years ago recreational burning was rare. Now, it is rare if there isn't any. This is a really nice city except for the wood smoke. North St. Paul is like a cake with ants on the icing.
I wish the leaders of this city would get out and go find a very smoky area, sit there and breathe the air for 2 hours or longer. They might then get an idea of how the rest of us live our lives almost every day. They probably would take action to eliminate this horrible air pollution from wood smoke.
6:00 PM: Getting smoky. Faint to light wood smoke where I am at this time.
7:00 PM: Getting smokier. Light to moderate wood smoke.
I told you wood burning would increase, didn't I?
I try to avoid profanity on this blog whenever I can. But this daily air pollution is frustrating because we are powerless to stop it. This evening I am more beaten down than angry. Can't do anything except sit inside with the windows closed and be miserable.
Such is life in North St. Paul.
9:00 PM: Faint wood smoke.
10:30 PM: Light wood smoke. It's getting heavier.