12:02 PM: Light grass smoke. Somebody is burning yard waste. Close the windows! Every day somebody is burning something. If it isn't wood, it is grass, leaves or something else. It is cool and breezy at this time. The windows are open. Now it smells like burning grass inside the house. What more can you ask for in a city? 73 degrees, breezy, and gorgeous except for the grass smoke.
12:15 PM: No smoke. The grass burning is done or the wind shifted direction. I expect more burning grass before nightfall and plenty of wood smoke after that.
It was another evening with wood smoke in the air. This is the fifth evening in a row with wood smoke in the air. This is typical of North St. Paul.
4:55 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke varying with the breeze. Somebody is burning wood. The air is smoky again and likely will be for hours to come. Close the windows!
5:20 PM: Light wood smoke varying with the breeze. I think somebody may be grilling with wood as a primary fuel. 77 degrees and cloudy at this time.
6:00 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke varying with the breeze. The house would reek of wood smoke if the windows were left open. Do you want to breathe smoky air while watching TV in your living room? North St. Paul sucks! Horrible city!
6:45 PM: Faint wood smoke at this time.
7:15 PM: Faint wood smoke continues.
8:45 PM: The air is not fresh. That is easy to determine. There is some type of smokiness in the air. Probably wood smoldering from earlier burning. The air is unpleasant and I do not want that odor in the house.
10:00 PM: Air still not fresh.
11:00 PM: Air not fresh.
When I woke up around 3 AM there was a very faint unpleasant smokiness of some type in the air. I could hardly smell it but just enough to tell it was present. I don't want to breathe unpleasant air in bed so the windows will remain closed until morning.
Recreational Fires Must Be Eliminated
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WELCOME TO HELL ON EARTH
The air is smoky from burning wood in North St. Paul, MN, almost every evening. It is a nightmare. What used to be a nice place to live has become a living hell.
WARNING: If you buy a house in North St. Paul, MN, you will regret it! It may be the biggest, most expensive mistake you ever make. You will breathe smoky air almost every day of your life in this town. This is not an exaggeration. The wood smoke in this town gets heavy and gets heavy often. When you want to get out of this dump of a town, how many people do you think are going to want to buy a house in a city where heavy air pollution every night is normal and clean air is rare? This blog gets thousands of visitors every year. The word is out: North St. Paul is a horrible place to live!
Fresh air is very rare around here. If you are considering moving to North St. Paul or buying a home here, I strongly recommend that you do not do it no matter how good of a price you get. The only way you will be happy in this town is if you love breathing smoky air almost every day. North St. Paul, MN, is a horrible place to live because of the smoky air!
Burning wood, grass, leaves, paper, cardboard, and sometimes plastic, construction materials, and chemicals, if it is combustible it gets burned in North St. Paul and you are going to breathe it.
The air was smoky 25 out of 31 evenings in July 2009. We had 37 hours of continuous wood smoke in the air Aug. 29th - 31st. There was wood smoke in the air 19 consecutive evenings from Aug. 21st to Sept. 8th. It rained heavily on Aug. 20th, providing the only relief we got from wood smoke for almost three weeks.
Is this a good way to live? No. It is a horrible way to live. Take it from someone who knows. Breathing smoky, polluted air every day is misery.
Every day in this city several people are having recreational fires. Every evening the air is filled with the stench of burning wood. I am one person sick and tired of breathing smoky air every day. Is it too much to ask to be able to breathe fresh air in your own home?
Who is responsible for this wood smoke nightmare? The four city council members are responsible. Council members Jan Walczak, Bob Bruton, Terry Furlong, and Dave Zick have refused to do anything about this wood smoke problem. They don't care if you have a child with asthma. They don't care if you have to live like a shut-in because the air is so polluted. They don't care if your sinuses burn because the wood smoke is so heavy.
Our four Council members have defended the rights of a small percentage of households to burn wood daily over the rights of all the rest of us to breathe.
You have no right to breathe under Walczak, Bruton, Furlong, and Zick. Burners have the right to burn wood 49 hours a week recreationally. The rest of us have no rights at all.
If you are considering purchasing real estate in the city of North Saint Paul, Minnesota (55109), factor this blog carefully into your decision. Buying a home in this city means that your kids will breathe smoky air while playing in the yard almost every day. Your baby will breathe smoky air in her crib should you leave the windows open around your house. If you leave your windows open you will wake up in the middle of the night choking on smoky air.
Perhaps worst of all, your utility rates will be high because you will have to run the air conditioner instead of leaving the windows open on a cool summer evening. You have no other choice because almost every night the air is too smoky to breathe in this city. Consider this blog your warning.
North St. Paul, Minnesota, is a wonderful community other than the wood smoke. If we could restore fresh air like we used to enjoy, life would be happy again. But that is not going to happen any time soon.
Tell others about this blog!
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The air is smoky from burning wood in North St. Paul, MN, almost every evening. It is a nightmare. What used to be a nice place to live has become a living hell.
WARNING: If you buy a house in North St. Paul, MN, you will regret it! It may be the biggest, most expensive mistake you ever make. You will breathe smoky air almost every day of your life in this town. This is not an exaggeration. The wood smoke in this town gets heavy and gets heavy often. When you want to get out of this dump of a town, how many people do you think are going to want to buy a house in a city where heavy air pollution every night is normal and clean air is rare? This blog gets thousands of visitors every year. The word is out: North St. Paul is a horrible place to live!
Fresh air is very rare around here. If you are considering moving to North St. Paul or buying a home here, I strongly recommend that you do not do it no matter how good of a price you get. The only way you will be happy in this town is if you love breathing smoky air almost every day. North St. Paul, MN, is a horrible place to live because of the smoky air!
Burning wood, grass, leaves, paper, cardboard, and sometimes plastic, construction materials, and chemicals, if it is combustible it gets burned in North St. Paul and you are going to breathe it.
The air was smoky 25 out of 31 evenings in July 2009. We had 37 hours of continuous wood smoke in the air Aug. 29th - 31st. There was wood smoke in the air 19 consecutive evenings from Aug. 21st to Sept. 8th. It rained heavily on Aug. 20th, providing the only relief we got from wood smoke for almost three weeks.
Is this a good way to live? No. It is a horrible way to live. Take it from someone who knows. Breathing smoky, polluted air every day is misery.
Every day in this city several people are having recreational fires. Every evening the air is filled with the stench of burning wood. I am one person sick and tired of breathing smoky air every day. Is it too much to ask to be able to breathe fresh air in your own home?
Who is responsible for this wood smoke nightmare? The four city council members are responsible. Council members Jan Walczak, Bob Bruton, Terry Furlong, and Dave Zick have refused to do anything about this wood smoke problem. They don't care if you have a child with asthma. They don't care if you have to live like a shut-in because the air is so polluted. They don't care if your sinuses burn because the wood smoke is so heavy.
Our four Council members have defended the rights of a small percentage of households to burn wood daily over the rights of all the rest of us to breathe.
You have no right to breathe under Walczak, Bruton, Furlong, and Zick. Burners have the right to burn wood 49 hours a week recreationally. The rest of us have no rights at all.
If you are considering purchasing real estate in the city of North Saint Paul, Minnesota (55109), factor this blog carefully into your decision. Buying a home in this city means that your kids will breathe smoky air while playing in the yard almost every day. Your baby will breathe smoky air in her crib should you leave the windows open around your house. If you leave your windows open you will wake up in the middle of the night choking on smoky air.
Perhaps worst of all, your utility rates will be high because you will have to run the air conditioner instead of leaving the windows open on a cool summer evening. You have no other choice because almost every night the air is too smoky to breathe in this city. Consider this blog your warning.
North St. Paul, Minnesota, is a wonderful community other than the wood smoke. If we could restore fresh air like we used to enjoy, life would be happy again. But that is not going to happen any time soon.
Tell others about this blog!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Saturday 08/14/2010 Air Pollution
As usual, there was wood smoke in the air this evening. If you don't love smoky air, if you don't crave the smell of burning wood, grass, leaves, and paper, you will be miserable in the city of North Saint Paul, Minnesota. Smoky air is an every day condition of life in this town. This is the fourth evening in a row with wood smoke in the air.
4:30 PM: No smoke. I checked several times for burning grass today and noticed none. 84 degrees.
5:30 PM: A very faint trace of something is in the air. It is not strong enough to determine the type of smoke it is. It could be a grill, or wood, or another type of pollutant. The air is not fresh. But it isn't bad enough to close the windows if they were open. We can live with it. 84 degrees with 41% relative humidity.
6:30 PM: No smoke but the air is not fresh. It is breezy at this time. Too breezy to burn wood? Probably not.
7:00 PM: No smoke.
7:30 PM: Light wood smoke. Yes, somebody had to burn wood. There is a chance of rain in the forecast for tonight. I hope it rains. The rain will save us from the dangerous wood smoke pollution city council members Jan Walczak and Bob Bruton force us to breathe. If the windows were open they would need to be closed.
8:00 PM: Faint wood and grill smoke at this time.
9:00 PM: Light wood smoke.
9:30 PM: No smoke. It rained sometime between this time and the last check. Hopefully, that will put a damper on further wood burning for tonight.
10:00 PM: No smoke.
11:30 PM: No smoke.
When I woke up after 1 AM the air was clear. Rain was our savior tonight. It probably would have been a typical smoky hell of an evening otherwise.
When I got up Sunday morning it was 64 degrees outside. We left the windows closed and the air conditioning on all night. In this town you cannot sleep with the windows open. If you do, there is a good chance you will wake up with your house reeking of wood smoke. You never know when someone will start a bonfire at 1 AM. There has not been much of that this year. But there was a lot of it in years past. It is hard to sleep when you are breathing smoky air with every breath.
4:30 PM: No smoke. I checked several times for burning grass today and noticed none. 84 degrees.
5:30 PM: A very faint trace of something is in the air. It is not strong enough to determine the type of smoke it is. It could be a grill, or wood, or another type of pollutant. The air is not fresh. But it isn't bad enough to close the windows if they were open. We can live with it. 84 degrees with 41% relative humidity.
6:30 PM: No smoke but the air is not fresh. It is breezy at this time. Too breezy to burn wood? Probably not.
7:00 PM: No smoke.
7:30 PM: Light wood smoke. Yes, somebody had to burn wood. There is a chance of rain in the forecast for tonight. I hope it rains. The rain will save us from the dangerous wood smoke pollution city council members Jan Walczak and Bob Bruton force us to breathe. If the windows were open they would need to be closed.
8:00 PM: Faint wood and grill smoke at this time.
9:00 PM: Light wood smoke.
9:30 PM: No smoke. It rained sometime between this time and the last check. Hopefully, that will put a damper on further wood burning for tonight.
10:00 PM: No smoke.
11:30 PM: No smoke.
When I woke up after 1 AM the air was clear. Rain was our savior tonight. It probably would have been a typical smoky hell of an evening otherwise.
When I got up Sunday morning it was 64 degrees outside. We left the windows closed and the air conditioning on all night. In this town you cannot sleep with the windows open. If you do, there is a good chance you will wake up with your house reeking of wood smoke. You never know when someone will start a bonfire at 1 AM. There has not been much of that this year. But there was a lot of it in years past. It is hard to sleep when you are breathing smoky air with every breath.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Friday 08/13/2010 Air Pollution
4:10 PM: No smoke. Rain clouds are above us. The weather forecast calls for rain and thunderstorms this evening. I am hoping for fresh air this evening delivered by the good graces of mother nature. Lord knows our city council will not give us unpolluted air. 84 degrees with dark clouds at this time.
4:17 PM: Faint wood smoke at this time. This city is unbelievable! Somebody -- and I think I know who -- had to sneak in a little burning before the rain. Rain drops are just starting to fall at this time with light rumbles of thunder. Not even seven minutes after last checking the air somebody started burning wood. I am getting ready for dinner and am not going out looking for it. This city is a smoky nightmare!
4:25 PM: No smoke. It is raining pretty good at this time. It rained for a few minutes while the sun was shining then it stopped.
5:00 PM: No smoke. Fresh air. How long will it last? As this is the city of North St. Paul, MN, probably not long.
5:45 PM: No smoke.
6:30 PM: No smoke.
7:00 PM: No smoke.
8:00 PM: No smoke.
9:00 PM: No smoke.
9:45 PM: Light wood smoke at this time. The smoke did not last long. The burning was short in duration or the breeze shifted direction.
10:00 PM: No real wood smoke. The air is not fresh. But we will gladly take it over the normal polluted air.
10:45 PM: No smoke. The air is not fresh. There is a very faint trace of something unidentifiable in it.
11:15 PM: No smoke. Last check of the evening.
When I woke up after midnight the air was clear. While we did have wood smoke tonight, as is usual in this town, it was a pretty weak night for wood smoke pollution. Fridays are usually very smoky. But one home in the area that usually had extremely smoky bonfires on Friday or Saturday nights is vacant because of foreclosure. This year has not been as smoky as last year. But it is still too smoky too often. Do you want to breathe smoky air every day? I do not think you do.
4:17 PM: Faint wood smoke at this time. This city is unbelievable! Somebody -- and I think I know who -- had to sneak in a little burning before the rain. Rain drops are just starting to fall at this time with light rumbles of thunder. Not even seven minutes after last checking the air somebody started burning wood. I am getting ready for dinner and am not going out looking for it. This city is a smoky nightmare!
4:25 PM: No smoke. It is raining pretty good at this time. It rained for a few minutes while the sun was shining then it stopped.
5:00 PM: No smoke. Fresh air. How long will it last? As this is the city of North St. Paul, MN, probably not long.
5:45 PM: No smoke.
6:30 PM: No smoke.
7:00 PM: No smoke.
8:00 PM: No smoke.
9:00 PM: No smoke.
9:45 PM: Light wood smoke at this time. The smoke did not last long. The burning was short in duration or the breeze shifted direction.
10:00 PM: No real wood smoke. The air is not fresh. But we will gladly take it over the normal polluted air.
10:45 PM: No smoke. The air is not fresh. There is a very faint trace of something unidentifiable in it.
11:15 PM: No smoke. Last check of the evening.
When I woke up after midnight the air was clear. While we did have wood smoke tonight, as is usual in this town, it was a pretty weak night for wood smoke pollution. Fridays are usually very smoky. But one home in the area that usually had extremely smoky bonfires on Friday or Saturday nights is vacant because of foreclosure. This year has not been as smoky as last year. But it is still too smoky too often. Do you want to breathe smoky air every day? I do not think you do.
Thursday 08/12/2010 Air Pollution
It was hot today. But not hot enough to discourage someone from burning wood for a short while.
5:00 PM: No smoke. 91 degrees. Relative humidity is 54%. The air is not as heavy as it was yesterday.
6:00 PM: No smoke.
7:30 PM: Light wood smoke at this time. Somebody somewhere is burning wood. Whenever I venture out looking for wood smoke, I never have a problem finding it. Somebody is always burning wood in this smoky hell of a town. Prior to this time there was the smell of grilling in the air. The wood smoke did not last more than 15 minutes. The wood burning could be associated with the grilling. Or somebody could be burning some dead branches that were blown out of a tree. It is possible someone a quarter mile away started bonfire and the breeze brought the smoke to us for a while before changing direction. I don't care what the source of the wood smoke is. Smoky air is smoky air and we are sick of it!
8:00 PM: No smoke.
There was no wood smoke for the rest of the evening. We got off lucky tonight thanks to the heat.
5:00 PM: No smoke. 91 degrees. Relative humidity is 54%. The air is not as heavy as it was yesterday.
6:00 PM: No smoke.
7:30 PM: Light wood smoke at this time. Somebody somewhere is burning wood. Whenever I venture out looking for wood smoke, I never have a problem finding it. Somebody is always burning wood in this smoky hell of a town. Prior to this time there was the smell of grilling in the air. The wood smoke did not last more than 15 minutes. The wood burning could be associated with the grilling. Or somebody could be burning some dead branches that were blown out of a tree. It is possible someone a quarter mile away started bonfire and the breeze brought the smoke to us for a while before changing direction. I don't care what the source of the wood smoke is. Smoky air is smoky air and we are sick of it!
8:00 PM: No smoke.
There was no wood smoke for the rest of the evening. We got off lucky tonight thanks to the heat.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wednesday 08/11/2010 Air Pollution
Despite the heat and humidity wood smoke made a return this evening.
5:00 PM: No wood smoke. 91 degrees with 58% humidity.
7:00 PM: No smoke.
9:00 PM: Still no wood or grass smoke.
10:15 PM: No smoke.
10:45 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. The all too familiar wood smoke pollution makes a comeback in North St. Paul, MN. It wouldn't be North St. Paul without air pollution. Wood smoke pollution is this city's trademark. The official mascot, the snowman, should be replaced with a flaming, smoky log. It would be more befitting of our community. Our air is smoky spring, summer, fall, and winter. We have snow only one season a year. We have smoky air all four seasons. Last check of the evening. When I woke around 2:45 AM the air was clear.
5:00 PM: No wood smoke. 91 degrees with 58% humidity.
7:00 PM: No smoke.
9:00 PM: Still no wood or grass smoke.
10:15 PM: No smoke.
10:45 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. The all too familiar wood smoke pollution makes a comeback in North St. Paul, MN. It wouldn't be North St. Paul without air pollution. Wood smoke pollution is this city's trademark. The official mascot, the snowman, should be replaced with a flaming, smoky log. It would be more befitting of our community. Our air is smoky spring, summer, fall, and winter. We have snow only one season a year. We have smoky air all four seasons. Last check of the evening. When I woke around 2:45 AM the air was clear.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tuesday 08/10/2010 Air Pollution
There was no wood or grass smoke pollution in the air this evening. It was hot, humid, and stormy. There was rain in the Twin Cities earlier in the day around 11 AM or afterward. It rained again for a minute or two around 4:30 PM, just enough to wet the driveway. The temperature at 5:30 PM was a very warm 88 degrees with high humidity. Severe storms were in the weather forecast for this evening and night. Storm clouds were already in the sky at 5:30 PM. I recall it started raining around 7 PM. By 10 PM, there was loud thunder and it was raining good.
A bad evening for bonfires means a good evening for all the rest of us who need to breathe the air.
A bad evening for bonfires means a good evening for all the rest of us who need to breathe the air.
Monday 08/09/2010 Air Pollution
There was no wood or grass smoke this evening. It was another hot and humid summer day. The official high temperature for the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area reached 95 degrees. Not many people have recreational bonfires when it gets this hot. It may have been hot and sticky, but at least we enjoyed some fresh air.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sunday 08/08/2010 Air Pollution
There was no wood smoke this evening due to a thunderstorm and high temperatures. The official high temperature for the Minneapolis - St. Paul area reached 95 degrees. By 6:45 PM, loud thunder could be heard and rain followed.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Saturday 08/07/2010 Air Pollution
1:15 AM: A faint smoldering wood smoke is in the air.
4:00 AM: A very faint trace of smoldering wood smoke remains in the air.
6:00 AM: A very faint trace of smoldering wood smoke continues.
8:00 AM: A very faint trace of smoldering wood smoke continues. That makes almost 12 hours of wood smoke in the air.
5:00 PM: No wood smoke. 88 degrees and muggy. I do not know if there will be wood burning tonight with the temperature as high as it is.
8:40 PM: Light to moderate grass smoke. Somebody is burning grass clippings. 84 degrees.
8:50 PM: Yard waste smoke from earlier is gone. It did not last long from when it was first noticed.
9:25 PM: No smoke. The air is not fresh but I cannot smell any smoke in it. Windy at this time.
10:00 PM: No smoke, air not fresh.
10:50 PM: No smoke, air not fresh. Lightning in the clouds around this time.
11:30 PM: No smoke.
Midnight: No smoke.
The warmth and humidity and the storm moving in may have discouraged wood burning tonight. We got a good dose of grass smoke for a little while. So it was not a smoke-free evening. It started raining after midnight.
4:00 AM: A very faint trace of smoldering wood smoke remains in the air.
6:00 AM: A very faint trace of smoldering wood smoke continues.
8:00 AM: A very faint trace of smoldering wood smoke continues. That makes almost 12 hours of wood smoke in the air.
5:00 PM: No wood smoke. 88 degrees and muggy. I do not know if there will be wood burning tonight with the temperature as high as it is.
8:40 PM: Light to moderate grass smoke. Somebody is burning grass clippings. 84 degrees.
8:50 PM: Yard waste smoke from earlier is gone. It did not last long from when it was first noticed.
9:25 PM: No smoke. The air is not fresh but I cannot smell any smoke in it. Windy at this time.
10:00 PM: No smoke, air not fresh.
10:50 PM: No smoke, air not fresh. Lightning in the clouds around this time.
11:30 PM: No smoke.
Midnight: No smoke.
The warmth and humidity and the storm moving in may have discouraged wood burning tonight. We got a good dose of grass smoke for a little while. So it was not a smoke-free evening. It started raining after midnight.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Friday 08/06/2010 Air Pollution
This city is a smoky hell of a nightmare once more! We made it five consecutive days without any wood smoke, a record for the city of North Saint Paul, Minnesota. High humidity and warm temperatures discouraged bonfire burning this past Monday and Tuesday. It rained heavily on Wednesday. Thursday was a miracle without wood smoke and last Sunday could count as a miracle as well. Wood smoke returns with a vengeance tonight!
6:00 PM: No wood smoke. 84 degrees. The windows are open. We are debating shutting them and turning on the air conditioning. A long stretch without wood smoke means tonight will be smoky as hell.
7:00 PM: No smoke.
8:00 PM: No smoke.
8:15 PM: Strong wood and grass smoke! It is smoky as hell outside! Close the windows and turn on the air conditioning. People are burning wood, brush, and yard waste. We are now paying the price for enjoying a stretch of fresh air! It will be smoky as hell all night long. The city of North St. Paul is hell on earth! Thanks for the polluted air Jan Walczak and Bob Bruton. You are evil for making us breathe this heavily polluted air! 79 degrees. An otherwise beautiful summer evening is ruined by smoke from the burning of wood and yard waste. As usual!
8:35 PM: Moderate wood and yard waste smoke continues.
9:15 PM: Moderate wood smoke continues. Moderately strong wood smoke in the back yard and light wood smoke in the front.
10:30 PM: Light wood smoke.
11:25 PM: Faint to light wood smoke.
The wood smoke continued well after midnight. At 8 AM the next morning a very faint trace of smoldering wood smoke could be smelled in the air.
6:00 PM: No wood smoke. 84 degrees. The windows are open. We are debating shutting them and turning on the air conditioning. A long stretch without wood smoke means tonight will be smoky as hell.
7:00 PM: No smoke.
8:00 PM: No smoke.
8:15 PM: Strong wood and grass smoke! It is smoky as hell outside! Close the windows and turn on the air conditioning. People are burning wood, brush, and yard waste. We are now paying the price for enjoying a stretch of fresh air! It will be smoky as hell all night long. The city of North St. Paul is hell on earth! Thanks for the polluted air Jan Walczak and Bob Bruton. You are evil for making us breathe this heavily polluted air! 79 degrees. An otherwise beautiful summer evening is ruined by smoke from the burning of wood and yard waste. As usual!
8:35 PM: Moderate wood and yard waste smoke continues.
9:15 PM: Moderate wood smoke continues. Moderately strong wood smoke in the back yard and light wood smoke in the front.
10:30 PM: Light wood smoke.
11:25 PM: Faint to light wood smoke.
The wood smoke continued well after midnight. At 8 AM the next morning a very faint trace of smoldering wood smoke could be smelled in the air.
Thursday 08/05/2010 Air Pollution
There was no wood smoke this evening. The evening air was not fresh but no wood smoke could be detected. The temperature was 80 degrees at 4:30 PM dropping to 75 degrees by 8 PM. It was a refreshing 70 degrees at 11 PM. It was a beautiful cool summer evening that was not ruined by wood smoke as most of our evenings are. Usually, if the temperature is mild enough to open the windows our air is smoky. Not tonight. I cannot explain the absence of wood smoke. I am only glad we got to enjoy the evening.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday 08/04/2010 Air Pollution
There was no wood smoke this evening. We had pouring rain just after 8:30 PM. Everything was too wet to burn.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Tuesday 08/03/2010 Air Pollution
5:00 PM: No smoke. 93 degrees, humid. I am not expecting any wood smoke tonight with the temperature as high as it is.
5:45 PM: No wood smoke. Cloudy.
6:30 PM: No wood smoke. 90 degrees.
There was no wood smoke this evening. The air was delightfully and unusually fresh. As the temperature dropped during the evening, I stepped outside for a while to enjoy the warm evening air and take several deep breaths of air. It was very nice not to smell wood smoke pollution in the air.
5:45 PM: No wood smoke. Cloudy.
6:30 PM: No wood smoke. 90 degrees.
There was no wood smoke this evening. The air was delightfully and unusually fresh. As the temperature dropped during the evening, I stepped outside for a while to enjoy the warm evening air and take several deep breaths of air. It was very nice not to smell wood smoke pollution in the air.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Monday 08/02/2010 Air Pollution
6:00 PM: No smoke. 86 degrees, partly cloudy, and very humid right now. It is like a sauna outside.
National Night Out is tomorrow, August 3rd, 2010. The event is being held at Christ Lutheran Church at 2475 17th Ave. Abutting the church driveway on 19th Ave. is a garage and behind the garage is a firepit. The guy in the wheelchair who lives there has had many smoky fires over the past few years. It would be nice if he burned some wood while the event was taking place so all the attendees could breathe smoky air like we have to breathe every day.
There was no wood smoke this evening. The air was fresh with not a trace of anything in it. It was warm and very humid. There are not many bonfires when conditions are as uncomfortable as they are today.
National Night Out is tomorrow, August 3rd, 2010. The event is being held at Christ Lutheran Church at 2475 17th Ave. Abutting the church driveway on 19th Ave. is a garage and behind the garage is a firepit. The guy in the wheelchair who lives there has had many smoky fires over the past few years. It would be nice if he burned some wood while the event was taking place so all the attendees could breathe smoky air like we have to breathe every day.
There was no wood smoke this evening. The air was fresh with not a trace of anything in it. It was warm and very humid. There are not many bonfires when conditions are as uncomfortable as they are today.
Sunday 08/01/2010 Air Pollution
12:45 AM: Faint wood smoke at this time. Last check of the night.
5:15 PM: No wood smoke. 86 degrees, mostly cloudy and a little muggy.
Will the air be smoky tonight? Last Sunday was smoky as hell. It was misery with very high levels of air pollution. Last Sunday was one of the worst of the summer. Sundays tend to be one of the smokier days of the week.
6:10 PM: No smoke. Completely cloudy now. It looks like it could rain at any minute, but rain is not in the forecast until after midnight and during the morning hours tomorrow.
7:30 PM: A very faint something is in the air. I cannot say it is wood smoke, so it does not count as wood smoke.
8:35 PM: The air is not fresh but I cannot smell anything in it.
9:55 PM: No wood smoke. The air is mostly fresh. We still have time for the wood smoke to reveal itself this evening. The current temperature is 81 degrees and it is humid. Our windows are not open. Even still, I hope the air remains smoke-free tonight. I just stepped outside for a breath of air. You cannot do that when the air is smoky.
11:10 PM: No smoke. A sprinkle of rain prior to this time.
There was no wood smoke this evening. Heavy wood smoke last Sunday, none this Sunday. It rained lightly for a few minutes after 11 PM and the driveway was all wet by midnight. It is possible the rain discouraged recreational bonfire burners this evening. Rain was not in the forecast until after midnight, but it looked like it could rain at any time most of the evening.
5:15 PM: No wood smoke. 86 degrees, mostly cloudy and a little muggy.
Will the air be smoky tonight? Last Sunday was smoky as hell. It was misery with very high levels of air pollution. Last Sunday was one of the worst of the summer. Sundays tend to be one of the smokier days of the week.
6:10 PM: No smoke. Completely cloudy now. It looks like it could rain at any minute, but rain is not in the forecast until after midnight and during the morning hours tomorrow.
7:30 PM: A very faint something is in the air. I cannot say it is wood smoke, so it does not count as wood smoke.
8:35 PM: The air is not fresh but I cannot smell anything in it.
9:55 PM: No wood smoke. The air is mostly fresh. We still have time for the wood smoke to reveal itself this evening. The current temperature is 81 degrees and it is humid. Our windows are not open. Even still, I hope the air remains smoke-free tonight. I just stepped outside for a breath of air. You cannot do that when the air is smoky.
11:10 PM: No smoke. A sprinkle of rain prior to this time.
There was no wood smoke this evening. Heavy wood smoke last Sunday, none this Sunday. It rained lightly for a few minutes after 11 PM and the driveway was all wet by midnight. It is possible the rain discouraged recreational bonfire burners this evening. Rain was not in the forecast until after midnight, but it looked like it could rain at any time most of the evening.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
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I want the entire world to know that our evil city council members Bob Bruton, Terry Furlong, Dave Zick, and Jan Walczak make elderly people and little babies breathe heavily polluted air.
Are you an elderly person who has a respiratory disease and find it very difficult to breathe when the air is smoky? Bob Bruton does not care. He supports recreational wood burning. He does not care how difficult it is for you to breathe. I have suffered from shortness of breath because of the heavy wood smoke in this town. If the smoke is hard on me, it will be much harder on someone twenty years my senior.
Are you concerned about your baby's developing lungs being exposed to soot, ash, tar, and cancer-causing chemicals in wood smoke? Jan Walczak does not care. She's got wood burners all around her and small children living around her, too. I would think that being a mother she would be concerned about the health and welfare of children living in the community she represents. But she does not care. Her child is grown and her mothering instinct, if she ever had one, which I doubt, no longer exists.
The only thing that is going to make these four idiot politicians do something about the terrible wood smoke pollution problem is public shame. That is why me, my family, and everyone who values clean air needs your help drawing attention to this problem.
If you had to breathe smoky air almost every day, you would be angry, too. So forgive my tone. We have suffered for years because of the terrible wood smoke pollution problem in North St. Paul, MN, and the city council has refused to do a thing.
I want the entire world to know that our evil city council members Bob Bruton, Terry Furlong, Dave Zick, and Jan Walczak make elderly people and little babies breathe heavily polluted air.
Are you an elderly person who has a respiratory disease and find it very difficult to breathe when the air is smoky? Bob Bruton does not care. He supports recreational wood burning. He does not care how difficult it is for you to breathe. I have suffered from shortness of breath because of the heavy wood smoke in this town. If the smoke is hard on me, it will be much harder on someone twenty years my senior.
Are you concerned about your baby's developing lungs being exposed to soot, ash, tar, and cancer-causing chemicals in wood smoke? Jan Walczak does not care. She's got wood burners all around her and small children living around her, too. I would think that being a mother she would be concerned about the health and welfare of children living in the community she represents. But she does not care. Her child is grown and her mothering instinct, if she ever had one, which I doubt, no longer exists.
The only thing that is going to make these four idiot politicians do something about the terrible wood smoke pollution problem is public shame. That is why me, my family, and everyone who values clean air needs your help drawing attention to this problem.
If you had to breathe smoky air almost every day, you would be angry, too. So forgive my tone. We have suffered for years because of the terrible wood smoke pollution problem in North St. Paul, MN, and the city council has refused to do a thing.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday 07/31/2010 Air Pollution
It's another evening of smoky air in North St. Paul.
10:15 AM: Very faint grass smoke coming in on the breeze. Somebody is in the distance is burning grass clippings. If it isn't wood that is burning in this town, it is yard waste.
4:45 PM: No smoke. 85 degrees.
5:00 PM: No smoke.
6:45 PM: No smoke. 87 degrees, sunny, a nice summer evening.
8:05 PM: No smoke yet.
8:40 PM: Very faint wood smoke is in the air. It can be smelled just enough to detect its presence.
9:45 PM: Very faint wood smoke continues.
10:30 PM: Light wood smoke. Now it is getting stronger. If the windows were open, they would need to be closed. Do you want to breathe smoky air in your living room? Almost every day of your life?
11:15 PM: Light wood smoke continues. It is 75 degrees outside at this time. In a normal city where the city council doesn't torture its residents with polluted air, we would shut the air conditioning off and open the windows to allow the house to cool naturally overnight. But we can't do that because the air is so damn smoky!
Bonfires are supposed to be extinguished by 11 PM. So much for following the rules. Why should anyone bother? This city does not enforce them, anyway. What is worse? Smoky air after 11 PM or smoky air before 11 PM? Both options are undesirable and unacceptable! Smoky, polluted air is never acceptable!
Midnight: A very faint trace of wood smoke lingers in the air. The wood smoke reached the faint level again after midnight.
For a Saturday night this was pretty light. Wood smoke often gets really heavy on the weekend.
10:15 AM: Very faint grass smoke coming in on the breeze. Somebody is in the distance is burning grass clippings. If it isn't wood that is burning in this town, it is yard waste.
4:45 PM: No smoke. 85 degrees.
5:00 PM: No smoke.
6:45 PM: No smoke. 87 degrees, sunny, a nice summer evening.
8:05 PM: No smoke yet.
8:40 PM: Very faint wood smoke is in the air. It can be smelled just enough to detect its presence.
9:45 PM: Very faint wood smoke continues.
10:30 PM: Light wood smoke. Now it is getting stronger. If the windows were open, they would need to be closed. Do you want to breathe smoky air in your living room? Almost every day of your life?
11:15 PM: Light wood smoke continues. It is 75 degrees outside at this time. In a normal city where the city council doesn't torture its residents with polluted air, we would shut the air conditioning off and open the windows to allow the house to cool naturally overnight. But we can't do that because the air is so damn smoky!
Bonfires are supposed to be extinguished by 11 PM. So much for following the rules. Why should anyone bother? This city does not enforce them, anyway. What is worse? Smoky air after 11 PM or smoky air before 11 PM? Both options are undesirable and unacceptable! Smoky, polluted air is never acceptable!
Midnight: A very faint trace of wood smoke lingers in the air. The wood smoke reached the faint level again after midnight.
For a Saturday night this was pretty light. Wood smoke often gets really heavy on the weekend.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Friday 07/30/2010 Air Pollution
12:40 AM: A very faint trace of smoke lingers in the air. The air is not fresh.
3:00 AM: The air is mostly fresh.
Scattered rain is in the forecast for this evening. Will our air be smoky?
5:30 PM: No smoke yet. The ground is wet. It just rained lightly. 72 degrees.
6:25 PM: Faint wood smoke at this time. It is already smoky. We will have to leave the windows closed and the air conditioning on with a temperature of 72 degrees. I wish I could convey to you readers just how horrible North St. Paul, MN, is. Do you want to breathe smoky air inside your home at 6:30 PM on a Friday evening? We don't. I do not think anybody would.
8:30 PM: I cannot smell any wood smoke, but I smell some food grilling.
9:35 PM: No smoke.
10:15 PM: Very faint wood smoke.
11:00 PM: No smoke.
Midnight: No smoke.
It was not too bad for a Friday.
3:00 AM: The air is mostly fresh.
Scattered rain is in the forecast for this evening. Will our air be smoky?
5:30 PM: No smoke yet. The ground is wet. It just rained lightly. 72 degrees.
6:25 PM: Faint wood smoke at this time. It is already smoky. We will have to leave the windows closed and the air conditioning on with a temperature of 72 degrees. I wish I could convey to you readers just how horrible North St. Paul, MN, is. Do you want to breathe smoky air inside your home at 6:30 PM on a Friday evening? We don't. I do not think anybody would.
8:30 PM: I cannot smell any wood smoke, but I smell some food grilling.
9:35 PM: No smoke.
10:15 PM: Very faint wood smoke.
11:00 PM: No smoke.
Midnight: No smoke.
It was not too bad for a Friday.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Thursday 07/29/2010 Air Pollution
2:15 AM: Light wood smoke continues. It is a smoldering, stinky smoky smell. Wood smoke at 2 AM? That is not uncommon in North St. Paul. It is cool outside at this time, 66 degrees. When I stuck my head out the door, I heard a neighbor's air conditioner running. We are not the only ones who have to run the air conditioner on cool nights because of smoky air.
Do you understand, city council?
6:00 AM: The air is fresh. It is 63 degrees. We should have been able to open the windows last night and allow the house to cool down naturally. Not in this town. Smoky air is the rule and under our city council the majority of households that do not burn have no right to breathe or sit outside or open their windows. Thanks, Bob Bruton and Jan Walczak. You are real assets to the community for making us breathe smoky air!
5:00 PM: A very faint smokiness of some type is in the air. I did not notice it earlier. At this time yesterday somebody was burning paper. Is this an encore of paper burning? 82 degrees.
7:00 PM: The air is fresh.
9:00 PM: No smoke. The air is not fresh.
9:30 PM: A very faint trace of some type of smoke is in the air. It is probably wood smoke and probably the beginning of another smoky night.
9:40 PM: Very faint wood smoke. The burner could be a half mile away. Or could be downwind and a little smoke is making it back up.
10:20 PM: Very faint wood smoke.
11:10 PM: Very faint wood smoke continues.
There was little wood smoke this evening. The very faint amount of smoke in the air would not require the windows to be closed if they were open, which they were not.
Do you understand, city council?
6:00 AM: The air is fresh. It is 63 degrees. We should have been able to open the windows last night and allow the house to cool down naturally. Not in this town. Smoky air is the rule and under our city council the majority of households that do not burn have no right to breathe or sit outside or open their windows. Thanks, Bob Bruton and Jan Walczak. You are real assets to the community for making us breathe smoky air!
5:00 PM: A very faint smokiness of some type is in the air. I did not notice it earlier. At this time yesterday somebody was burning paper. Is this an encore of paper burning? 82 degrees.
7:00 PM: The air is fresh.
9:00 PM: No smoke. The air is not fresh.
9:30 PM: A very faint trace of some type of smoke is in the air. It is probably wood smoke and probably the beginning of another smoky night.
9:40 PM: Very faint wood smoke. The burner could be a half mile away. Or could be downwind and a little smoke is making it back up.
10:20 PM: Very faint wood smoke.
11:10 PM: Very faint wood smoke continues.
There was little wood smoke this evening. The very faint amount of smoke in the air would not require the windows to be closed if they were open, which they were not.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Foreclosures in the area
I suspected the smoky wood burners whose home was recently put up for sale were forced out as the result of foreclosure. It turns out I was right. They didn't even bother to clean out their firepit before they left. While I am glad they are gone, I was disappointed to see so many foreclosures in the area. I had been looking for a list of area foreclosures for a while, but did not find anything. I found something today. I admit I am taken aback by how many foreclosures there have been.
There is a house on 19th Ave. near the lake that was torn down within the past few days. That house or the one next to it is in foreclosure. I cannot be certain because the government property map website is not working at the moment and I do not trust Bing Maps to be completely accurate with its address placement.
It turns out that our former mayor was foreclosed on, too. This is of note because the late Mayor Bill Sandberg lived in this city his whole life. He ran the local funeral home. He had to have paid that house off or made enough money to pay it off years ago. His estate must not have found enough equity in the home to pay off the debt. I have found no sale information on the county website and nothing indicating the home is for sale. But somebody is paying the property taxes.
Mayor Sandberg Foreclosure
Mortgage Foreclosure Sale
BAC v Sandberg, William T. & Delores L.;
2825 Division St. N., North St. Paul 55109
In addition to the smoky burners mentioned earlier who were foreclosed and have vacated their home, another burner in the area is in foreclosure.
Foreclosures may be a blessing in disguise for those of us who enjoy unpolluted air. If it takes a foreclosure to get rid of an air polluter, I will not complain. I would rather have a few vacant, rundown homes in the area than breathe smoky air every day.
There is a house on 19th Ave. near the lake that was torn down within the past few days. That house or the one next to it is in foreclosure. I cannot be certain because the government property map website is not working at the moment and I do not trust Bing Maps to be completely accurate with its address placement.
It turns out that our former mayor was foreclosed on, too. This is of note because the late Mayor Bill Sandberg lived in this city his whole life. He ran the local funeral home. He had to have paid that house off or made enough money to pay it off years ago. His estate must not have found enough equity in the home to pay off the debt. I have found no sale information on the county website and nothing indicating the home is for sale. But somebody is paying the property taxes.
Mayor Sandberg Foreclosure
Mortgage Foreclosure Sale
BAC v Sandberg, William T. & Delores L.;
2825 Division St. N., North St. Paul 55109
In addition to the smoky burners mentioned earlier who were foreclosed and have vacated their home, another burner in the area is in foreclosure.
Foreclosures may be a blessing in disguise for those of us who enjoy unpolluted air. If it takes a foreclosure to get rid of an air polluter, I will not complain. I would rather have a few vacant, rundown homes in the area than breathe smoky air every day.
Wednesday 07/28/2010 Air Pollution
We have smoke from burning paper early.
1:15 PM: A faint burning paper smell is in the air. It varies with the breeze. It did not last long.
3:50 PM: A faint burning paper smell is again in the air. It smells like burning paper. I believe that is what it is. It does not smell like wood. It could be some jackass burning waste. People burn a lot more of everything in this town than they used to because of the city's recreational burning ordinance.
4:00 PM: Light paper smoke is in the air. I do not know what else it could be other than paper. It is stronger now than before.
4:10 PM: Faint burning paper smell.
5:10 PM: A very faint burning paper smell lingers in the air. 81 degrees.
6:00 PM: A very faint trace of smoke of some type is still in the air. It could be paper smoke.
7:45 PM: Very faint to faint wood smoke. Somebody upwind is burning wood.
8:15 PM: A very faint trace of what could be paper smoke remains in the air.
9:00 PM: Fresh air. There is no trace of anything in it. Will it last? It is 75 degrees at this time. It is tempting to shut off the air conditioning and open the windows tonight. But we know all too well that wood smoke is present almost every night. The air conditioning will stay on tonight.
It is a beautiful, cool evening. I spent some time outside enjoying the little fresh air we get in this nightmare town.
9:30 PM: Light wood smoke. I HATE THIS ******* CITY!
10:00 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. It has gotten smokier the past half hour. It is 73 degrees measured at North High School. This would be a perfect night to turn off the air conditioning BUT WE CAN'T BECAUSE THE AIR IS SO DAMN SMOKY!
11:00 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke.
Midnight: Very faint to faint wood smoke.
1:15 PM: A faint burning paper smell is in the air. It varies with the breeze. It did not last long.
3:50 PM: A faint burning paper smell is again in the air. It smells like burning paper. I believe that is what it is. It does not smell like wood. It could be some jackass burning waste. People burn a lot more of everything in this town than they used to because of the city's recreational burning ordinance.
4:00 PM: Light paper smoke is in the air. I do not know what else it could be other than paper. It is stronger now than before.
4:10 PM: Faint burning paper smell.
5:10 PM: A very faint burning paper smell lingers in the air. 81 degrees.
6:00 PM: A very faint trace of smoke of some type is still in the air. It could be paper smoke.
7:45 PM: Very faint to faint wood smoke. Somebody upwind is burning wood.
8:15 PM: A very faint trace of what could be paper smoke remains in the air.
9:00 PM: Fresh air. There is no trace of anything in it. Will it last? It is 75 degrees at this time. It is tempting to shut off the air conditioning and open the windows tonight. But we know all too well that wood smoke is present almost every night. The air conditioning will stay on tonight.
It is a beautiful, cool evening. I spent some time outside enjoying the little fresh air we get in this nightmare town.
9:30 PM: Light wood smoke. I HATE THIS ******* CITY!
10:00 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke. It has gotten smokier the past half hour. It is 73 degrees measured at North High School. This would be a perfect night to turn off the air conditioning BUT WE CAN'T BECAUSE THE AIR IS SO DAMN SMOKY!
11:00 PM: Light to moderate wood smoke.
Midnight: Very faint to faint wood smoke.
Tuesday 07/27/2010 Air Pollution
There was no wood smoke this evening due to a thunderstorm and heavy rain. During the 8 PM hour, it was raining heavily with cloud to cloud lightening. It rained for about an hour. Even without the rain, I am not so certain there would have been wood smoke this evening. It was a hot and steamy day in the Twin Cities. The temperature at 4 PM was 93 degrees. The humidity level was about 60%. Recreational bonfires do not often occur when evening temperatures reach the 90s. The result was wonderful fresh air. Fresh air all evening and night long.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday 07/26/2010 Air Pollution
12:45 AM: Moderate wood smoke continues.
6:30 AM: A very faint smokiness remains in the air. It is just enough to tell the air is not fresh.
3:15 PM: Light grass smoke at this time. Somebody is burning yard waste. I am home enjoying a vacation. I wonder how much grass burning takes place when I am not around to notice it.
5:00 PM: No smoke. 85 degrees, sunny, a nice summer day.
7:00 PM: No wood smoke.
8:00 PM: No wood smoke.
9:10 PM: Light wood smoke at this time. There had to be wood smoke tonight. If the air isn't smoky, it is uncharacteristic of North St. Paul, MN, the most polluted city in the world.
9:45 PM: Faint wood smoke.
10:30 PM: The air is mostly clear. Only a very faint trace of smoke remains.
11:00 PM: The air is clear. I cannot smell any wood smoke.
11:30 PM: Faint wood smoke. The air is smoky again.
Compared to yesterday's horrific wood smoke, we got off easy tonight. There was a little burning grass in the afternoon and air pollution that never exceeded the level of light. Yesterday, the wood smoke was extremely heavy. Light air pollution is about as good as it gets in North St. Paul.
6:30 AM: A very faint smokiness remains in the air. It is just enough to tell the air is not fresh.
3:15 PM: Light grass smoke at this time. Somebody is burning yard waste. I am home enjoying a vacation. I wonder how much grass burning takes place when I am not around to notice it.
5:00 PM: No smoke. 85 degrees, sunny, a nice summer day.
7:00 PM: No wood smoke.
8:00 PM: No wood smoke.
9:10 PM: Light wood smoke at this time. There had to be wood smoke tonight. If the air isn't smoky, it is uncharacteristic of North St. Paul, MN, the most polluted city in the world.
9:45 PM: Faint wood smoke.
10:30 PM: The air is mostly clear. Only a very faint trace of smoke remains.
11:00 PM: The air is clear. I cannot smell any wood smoke.
11:30 PM: Faint wood smoke. The air is smoky again.
Compared to yesterday's horrific wood smoke, we got off easy tonight. There was a little burning grass in the afternoon and air pollution that never exceeded the level of light. Yesterday, the wood smoke was extremely heavy. Light air pollution is about as good as it gets in North St. Paul.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday 07/25/2010 Air Pollution
It is another smoky hell of an evening in North St. Paul! Wood smoke is heavy and it is everywhere tonight! I have said before that Sundays tend to be the smokiest days of the week and tonight it certainly is.
5:00 PM: No smoke. It is a beautiful summer day. The Weatherbug widget on this blog reports the temperature at North High School at 88 degrees. KSTP reports the temperature in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area at 82 degrees. It feels closer to 82 degrees.
Will we have wood smoke tonight? Will another beautiful summer evening be ruined by wood smoke?
7:00 PM: No smoke.
8:00 PM: No smoke.
8:45 PM: A very faint trace of something is in the air. The air is obviously not fresh.
At sunset, I went out looking for bonfires. Since today was the day of the big "Silver Lake Splash" fundraiser, I made a special effort to go by the house of the woman who has been the community activist leading the charge to "save our beach" and who convinced the city not to close the beach at Silver Lake this summer due to budgetary constraints. And I found my one and and only bonfire of the evening on her neighbor's property, a very smoky bonfire.
It was smoky all over the northern part of the city tonight. From the time I was a block from home, I could smell wood smoke almost everywhere I went. Starting from north to south.
1) Faint wood smoke at Helen St. & Lydia Ave. all the way down Helen St. to Navajo Rd. It was very faintly to faintly smoky everywhere tonight.
2) Smoke in the backyard of the 2nd house from the corner of Poplar Ave. & Lake Blvd. on the north side of the street. I am not certain if the smoke was from a bonfire or fireworks. I hope it was from a bonfire because city council member Bob Bruton, who supports recreational wood burning, lives just a few houses away. Was your air smoky tonight, Bob? I hope so. If anyone deserves to breathe smoky, polluted air, it is our city council members who make us breathe that toxic poison.
3) Faint wood smoke at Navajo Rd. & Helen St.
4) A large cloud of smoke down on Hilltop Ct. I saw the cloud of smoke when I was on the other side of the hill but could not smell it. It took a while to get back around to Hilltop and when I did I could smell light wood smoke. I could not locate the source.
5) Moderate wood smoke at Park Row & 20th Ave. This is the second time I've found strong wood smoke over there this summer. I could not locate the source. Looking over the lake, I could see a very light haze from the wood smoke.
6) It was faintly to lightly smoky all along the southern edge of Silver Lake. It smelled like wood smoke and burning paper.
7) A smoky bonfire at the corner of Henry St. & 18th Ave. The woman who organized the Silver Lake beach fundraiser lives on 18th. I originally thought the bonfire was at her house. But it was not. The bonfire was on the property of the house on Henry. It is a double lot. I checked the Ramsey County property mapping website to be sure.
8) A small pocket of strong wood smoke at the intersection of Charles St. & 18th Ave. I could hardly breathe! I had to get out of here quickly. Your lungs do not want to expand to intake air this smoky. I had to struggle to inhale. I do not know if the smoke was from the bonfire at Henry & 18th or if there was another bonfire nearby. I could not stay around to find out.
9) Smoky haze at the intersection of 17th Ave. & Charles St. I did not go down to the intersection. I was in a hurry to get out of the area because it was so smoky. I needed to breathe!
9:25 PM: A very faint smokiness of some kind is in the air where we live. It is not nearly as smoky here as it is everywhere else in the city. When I got home, I had to change my clothes and bathe because I reeked of wood smoke!
9:50 PM: A very faint trace of wood smoke is in the air. I can barely smell it, but I can tell it is wood smoke. Nobody around us is burning.
10:20 PM: Moderate wood smoke. It is very smoky outside! The air reeks of wood smoke. I do not know why it gets so smoky on Sundays. It is not a holiday weekend. Don't people have to get up in the morning?
10:45 PM: Strong wood smoke! It is extremely smoky outside. It is about as smoky as it can possibly get. This air pollution is inhumane! 74 degrees at North High School. The humidity level in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area is about 80%. It is humid, but it is cooler outside than it is inside. If we lived in a decent city, we would be able to shut off the air conditioning and open the windows. But we can't! We can't even sit outside because the air is so damn smoky! This is hell on earth! We are prisoners in our own homes. We can't go outside for a breath of air. We can't open the windows. We are prisoners. North St. Paul sucks!
11:15 PM: Strong wood smoke continues. Off to bed. I will not fear nightmares when I sleep. We live a nightmare every day in North St. Paul, MN. A smoky hell of a nightmare.
5:00 PM: No smoke. It is a beautiful summer day. The Weatherbug widget on this blog reports the temperature at North High School at 88 degrees. KSTP reports the temperature in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area at 82 degrees. It feels closer to 82 degrees.
Will we have wood smoke tonight? Will another beautiful summer evening be ruined by wood smoke?
7:00 PM: No smoke.
8:00 PM: No smoke.
8:45 PM: A very faint trace of something is in the air. The air is obviously not fresh.
At sunset, I went out looking for bonfires. Since today was the day of the big "Silver Lake Splash" fundraiser, I made a special effort to go by the house of the woman who has been the community activist leading the charge to "save our beach" and who convinced the city not to close the beach at Silver Lake this summer due to budgetary constraints. And I found my one and and only bonfire of the evening on her neighbor's property, a very smoky bonfire.
It was smoky all over the northern part of the city tonight. From the time I was a block from home, I could smell wood smoke almost everywhere I went. Starting from north to south.
1) Faint wood smoke at Helen St. & Lydia Ave. all the way down Helen St. to Navajo Rd. It was very faintly to faintly smoky everywhere tonight.
2) Smoke in the backyard of the 2nd house from the corner of Poplar Ave. & Lake Blvd. on the north side of the street. I am not certain if the smoke was from a bonfire or fireworks. I hope it was from a bonfire because city council member Bob Bruton, who supports recreational wood burning, lives just a few houses away. Was your air smoky tonight, Bob? I hope so. If anyone deserves to breathe smoky, polluted air, it is our city council members who make us breathe that toxic poison.
3) Faint wood smoke at Navajo Rd. & Helen St.
4) A large cloud of smoke down on Hilltop Ct. I saw the cloud of smoke when I was on the other side of the hill but could not smell it. It took a while to get back around to Hilltop and when I did I could smell light wood smoke. I could not locate the source.
5) Moderate wood smoke at Park Row & 20th Ave. This is the second time I've found strong wood smoke over there this summer. I could not locate the source. Looking over the lake, I could see a very light haze from the wood smoke.
6) It was faintly to lightly smoky all along the southern edge of Silver Lake. It smelled like wood smoke and burning paper.
7) A smoky bonfire at the corner of Henry St. & 18th Ave. The woman who organized the Silver Lake beach fundraiser lives on 18th. I originally thought the bonfire was at her house. But it was not. The bonfire was on the property of the house on Henry. It is a double lot. I checked the Ramsey County property mapping website to be sure.
8) A small pocket of strong wood smoke at the intersection of Charles St. & 18th Ave. I could hardly breathe! I had to get out of here quickly. Your lungs do not want to expand to intake air this smoky. I had to struggle to inhale. I do not know if the smoke was from the bonfire at Henry & 18th or if there was another bonfire nearby. I could not stay around to find out.
9) Smoky haze at the intersection of 17th Ave. & Charles St. I did not go down to the intersection. I was in a hurry to get out of the area because it was so smoky. I needed to breathe!
9:25 PM: A very faint smokiness of some kind is in the air where we live. It is not nearly as smoky here as it is everywhere else in the city. When I got home, I had to change my clothes and bathe because I reeked of wood smoke!
9:50 PM: A very faint trace of wood smoke is in the air. I can barely smell it, but I can tell it is wood smoke. Nobody around us is burning.
10:20 PM: Moderate wood smoke. It is very smoky outside! The air reeks of wood smoke. I do not know why it gets so smoky on Sundays. It is not a holiday weekend. Don't people have to get up in the morning?
10:45 PM: Strong wood smoke! It is extremely smoky outside. It is about as smoky as it can possibly get. This air pollution is inhumane! 74 degrees at North High School. The humidity level in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area is about 80%. It is humid, but it is cooler outside than it is inside. If we lived in a decent city, we would be able to shut off the air conditioning and open the windows. But we can't! We can't even sit outside because the air is so damn smoky! This is hell on earth! We are prisoners in our own homes. We can't go outside for a breath of air. We can't open the windows. We are prisoners. North St. Paul sucks!
11:15 PM: Strong wood smoke continues. Off to bed. I will not fear nightmares when I sleep. We live a nightmare every day in North St. Paul, MN. A smoky hell of a nightmare.
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This blog is not a commercial endeavor. I make no money doing this and I really do not like doing this. But the air is so polluted in North St. Paul, MN, that I really have no choice. This city is a living hell. The only difference between North St. Paul and hell is there is less smoke in hell. The more people who read about how our four city council members Jan Walczak, Bob Bruton, Terry Furlong, and Dave Zick make us breathe smoky, polluted air the better.
Do you like breathing smoky air in bed at night? Do you like sitting outside and breathing wood smoke so heavy it makes your sinuses burn, gives you headaches, and makes you feel nauseous? Do you want to live your life like this every day? If not, share this blog with your Facebook friends.
You do not know how much we have suffered because of the polluted air in this city. Any attention we can get on this issue will help. Thank you.
Share
This blog is not a commercial endeavor. I make no money doing this and I really do not like doing this. But the air is so polluted in North St. Paul, MN, that I really have no choice. This city is a living hell. The only difference between North St. Paul and hell is there is less smoke in hell. The more people who read about how our four city council members Jan Walczak, Bob Bruton, Terry Furlong, and Dave Zick make us breathe smoky, polluted air the better.
Do you like breathing smoky air in bed at night? Do you like sitting outside and breathing wood smoke so heavy it makes your sinuses burn, gives you headaches, and makes you feel nauseous? Do you want to live your life like this every day? If not, share this blog with your Facebook friends.
You do not know how much we have suffered because of the polluted air in this city. Any attention we can get on this issue will help. Thank you.
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