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.