There was yard waste smoke most of the day today. This year is the worst ever for yard waste burning. Every year in this nightmare town more people burn than the year before. We are living in a city where nobody has any respect for anyone else. Thanks to our city council members who force us to breathe contaminated air every day of our lives.
9:30 AM: It was around this time that I noticed the odor of burning grass in the air. Faint grass smoke at this time.
12:51 PM: Light to moderate grass smoke. The illegal yard waste burner must not be too far away for the air pollution to be this strong.
1:25 PM: Faint grass smoke continues.
2:15 PM: Faint grass smoke continues.
3:30 PM: A very faint yard waste smoke lingers in the air.
5:00 PM: No smoke. 68 degrees, sunny, a beautiful day if not for the damn smoke pollution in this screwy city!
6:25 PM: Faint grass smoke. Another burner joining the yard waste burning party or is it someone burning yard waste in batches? Just get the damn yard waste burning done so we can enjoy an evening or two of fresh air before the bonfire burning starts!
Fresh air is very rare in North St. Paul. We breathe wood smoke, brush smoke, grass smoke, paper smoke, and who knows what other contaminants on a daily basis. So will your little children should you make the mistake of moving to North St. Paul, MN.
6:40 PM: No smoke.
7:25 PM: A very faint trace of grass smoke lingers in the air at this time.
I made a big mistake this evening. I went for a walk. The air along the southern edge of Silver Lake was so smoky I ended up with a sore throat. At one point I could not breathe. My body was fighting my attempts to draw air into my lungs and I thought I might suffocate. There was a bonfire in the area of 19th & Margaret that generated a lot of smoke. I could see a huge cloud of smoke rising from the backyard of one of the homes in the area. The really bad smoke came further down. At around 19th & Charles I encountered some very strong wood and chemical smoke. It was not regular firewood that was being burned. Some sort of waste or substance other than firewood was being burned. The odor could best be described as similar to a citronella candle but different and much stronger. It was a chemical smell. My throat was sore by the time I arrived home from the heavy smoke I had to breathe. I later found out the fire was coming from a home in the area of 17th & Henry.
Do not go for walks in North St. Paul during the evening or you may suffocate from the heavy air pollution. I am not exaggerating about how bad the smoke was. Someone older than myself may have very well keeled over and died as a result of the heavy air pollution.
8:35 PM: A very faint wood and chemical smell is in the air. The breeze is bringing the smoke from the home on 17th & Charles to our neighborhood a good distance away.
10:00 PM: No wood smoke. Fresh air! Thank God!
Do you want to live in a city like this?