It is Friday. The temperature this evening will be in the 60s with a low in the mid 50s. This means we have the potential for both bonfire and recreational fireplace smoke pollution if the rain holds off. Possible rain and a thunderstorm are in the forecast for this evening which could be our saving grace. I am expecting a smoky hell of an evening typical for a Friday in North St. Paul. In a couple of weeks we get to breathe smoke from burning leaves. Aren't we lucky to live in a city like this?
4:05 PM: No smoke. Fresh air for the time being. 71 degrees measured at North High School, cloudy skies.
4:44 PM: Faint grass or wood smoke for a minute. Then it was gone.
6:16 PM: Light grass smoke. Somebody is burning yard waste. I can smell it coming in the windows. I cannot tell the direction it is coming from. At the end of the week, don't you want to come home and breathe smoke from burning grass? This is life in North St. Paul. If people aren't burning wood in this nightmare city, they are burning grass or leaves or paper or other types of waste.
6:30 PM: Very faint grass smoke continues.
6:51 PM: Fresh air. A few tiny drops of rain drizzle are falling at this time.
7:15 PM: Fresh air continues. For a while. A few little droplets of drizzle are falling at this time. 67 degrees.
8:00 PM: Fresh air continues. Light rain falling at this time.
9:00 PM: No smoke. Fresh air continues.
10:00 PM: Fresh air.
11:00 PM: No smoke. Only wonderful fresh air!
Other than some burning grass smoke earlier, this was a very good -- and rare -- evening of fresh air. Even with the rain I expected some recreational fireplace use. But there was none. Before I went to bed I stepped outside and took several deep breaths of the fresh, cool air. On a normal Friday, this is not something anyone around here could do because the air would be filled with wood smoke. We were blessed tonight. Mother nature gave us the fresh, unpolluted air our city council will not.