Wood smoke is in the air again. I hate this city. I wish I didn't. North St. Paul used to be a really nice place to live before the daily wood smoke pollution took hold. It does not take more than a few years of daily smoky air before you begin to hate your town. Do you want to breathe smoky air almost every day of your life? Do you want to live like a piece of meat in a smokehouse? We have endured many hundreds of smoky evenings over the past several years and I can tell you I am really sick of it and this damn city!
5:00 PM: No smoke.
6:00 PM: No smoke. 77 degrees.
7:40 PM: No smoke.
8:30 PM: No smoke.
9:05 PM: Faint wood smoke in the air. I could smell it coming in the window. Close the windows! The one near certainty in this nightmare city is smoky air at night. The breeze seems to be blowing to the west this evening. I am tempted to go look for it.
9:15 PM: Faint wood smoke continues. How smoky will it get tonight? How many hours will it last? Will we be able to open the windows after midnight or will we be prisoners in our own home all night long? Do you want to breathe smoky air in bed?
9:25 PM: Faint wood smoke continues.
10:15 PM: No smoke.
10:25 PM: Faint wood smoke.
10:29 PM: No smoke. I went to bed at this time.
Midnight: No smoke.
The wood smoke presented a minor nuisance tonight. It was not bad but is still much more than we should tolerate in today's society. Faint wood smoke is strong enough that you will smell it in your home if your windows are open. You will smell it in your living room, you will smell it in your bedroom. You have no choice if you live in this nightmare city. You can breathe smoky air in your home or you can leave your windows closed all the time and live like a prisoner in your own home.