At least nine fires were burning within a quarter mile radius of us this evening. The wood smoke from Friday night continued well into this morning. There was intermittent burning throughout the day and asshole frequent burner started burning for the first time this season. Asshole frequent burner usually burns four to six times a week, all spring, summer, and fall long and burns yard waste, too, sometimes late at night. He produces huge clouds of smoke and burns for hours at a time day after day. The idiots in charge of this stupid horrible city made it legal and there is nothing we can do about it. Smoky air, noisy drunks. North St. Paul sucks!
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12:30 AM: Light to moderate wood smoke from Friday night's burning continues.
2:00 AM: Very faint stinky smoldering wood smoke lingers in the air. I checked the air on my way back to bed. Still can't open the windows. Don't want that stinky smell in the house. Somebody probably left their bonfire smoldering all night long. That happens all the time in North St. Paul. This city is a horrible place to live.
7:00 AM: Fresh air. Finally we can open the windows!
11:00 AM: Faint to light wood smoke. Somebody is burning somewhere around this time. Close the windows! 53 degrees and cloudy at this time. It could be a fireplace or somebody could be burning some tree branches. Who knows in this town. If it is combustible, people burn it.
12:00 PM: The air is not fresh. I can't determine what is in it but I know it isn't fresh.
1:30 PM: Not fresh air continues.
2:30 PM: Faint wood smoke around this time.
4:00 PM: Air is not fresh. Something is in it.
4:25 PM: Strong smell of lighter fluid is in the air. When you smell lighter fluid, you know one thing. Asshole frequent burner is going to start burning. Last year he burned about three or four times a week, much less than usual. He usually burns four to six times a week, every week, and has been doing this since around 2004. He's burned tons of wood on that property over the past eight years. His burning starts between 4 PM and 7 PM, he lets his wood smolder itself out, and by the time asshole's wood smoke is done the bonfires start elsewhere. It's wood smoke hell. Close the remaining windows. We know what is coming.
4:30 PM: I went out around the corner and confirmed that asshole frequent burner is burning. He is producing huge clouds of smoke at this time. The smoke is drifting south.
4:34 PM: Wood smoke from asshole frequent burner at home now. North St. Paul sucks! The smoke comes and goes as the breeze shifts direction. We are not catching much of his smoke at this time. We are lucky today. Sometimes we are not so lucky. 68 degrees, and it would be a beautiful evening to sit outside if not for the heavy wood smoke pollution.
4:46 PM: No smoke here. It comes and goes.
5:30 PM: No smoke. Went out and saw asshole frequent burner is still smoking up a storm. Huge clouds of smoke. Lucky for us it isn't coming this way.
6:15 PM: No smoke here.
6:40 PM: Moderate wood smoke. The heavy wood smoke is from the asshole frequent burner. You know the smell of his wood smoke.
7:25 PM: Moderate wood smoke continues. Went out and saw from behind the property huge bursts of smoke going up. That asshole is feeding more wood onto his fire. He's been burning for three hours now. And he will burn every day the weather is nice until September or October. And he will burn grass and in the fall he will burn leaves. And sometimes he will burn his grass after midnight under cover of darkness.
8:00 PM: Faint wood smoke. Smells different than before. Bonfires are starting now.
Sometime between 8:30 and 9 PM I went out for a little ride through the neighborhood. I made a quarter mile circle through the neighborhood, not going down most of the roads. I counted nine homes burning including asshole frequent burner. I saw two more homes I thought could be burning wood but couldn't see anything. There is not much of a breeze at this time. One home had a cloud of smoke hanging over the backyard and I could hear crackling from another home. It's early. More burners will be burning after 10 PM. It's going to be a long, smoky hell of a night.
After going through the neighborhood I headed over to Silver Lake. Smoky as hell over there in some parts. City council member Bob Bruton's neighbor a few houses south was having a bonfire. Down two homes further south was another home having a bonfire. Without much breeze, the smoke seemed to be drifting south and east. That's a shame because Bob Bruton supports recreational burning. He told me he did. Living north of the fires, the smoke may not make it into his windows.
A rental property five homes north of city council member Jan Walczak was having a bonfire. There was a for rent sign in front of the home a couple of months ago. The new tenants look like they are going to be burners. I hope the smoke drifted south onto Jan Walczak's property. Walczak was the first person I complained to about the horrible wood smoke pollution problem in this city back in 2008 and she did not do anything to help. I did not see any windows open at Walczak's house as I passed down on Helen St. Open your windows, Jan. Let that wood smoke into your living room and bedroom. You are the reason this wood smoke exists.
9:00 PM: Light wood smoke. The smoke is only going to get heavier.
9:35 PM: Moderate wood smoke. It is very smoky outside. You don't want to be outside breathing this toxic air.
11:00 PM: Moderate wood smoke continues.
11:55 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke continues. No chance of opening the windows before bed. We'll just have to hope the bonfires burn themselves out before we wake up in the morning so we can enjoy a few hours of fresh air before the burning starts again.