Breathless In The Valley

Here’s a cheery note. In December 1952 approximately 6,000 people died in the legendary London smog. It was a mixture of fog and city air pollutants. Guess what we had in Brownsville on Sunday, Sept. 13? Those London fogs had been appearing since the start of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. Luckily we don’t burn coal in the Willamette Valley; just lots and lots of wood.

I don’t expect we have seen the last fire for 2020, and I pray that by time of press that this smog has gone. When the next one arrives, which it surely will as we head into the fall, remember that breathing this stuff is actually a whole lot more than just toxic. It can be fatal for those with breathing problems. Sounds a bit like COVID to me, but at least this stuff is very visible, even if there is nowhere to hide.

Holding my breath until spring.

Peter Tildesley 

Brownsville