Sharp, peek-a-boo sunshine this Thursday morning here on California’s north coast, with some thick-shadowed clouds lurking about — we’re forecast for more rain today, mostly in the AM, but this being a narrow shoreline zone, weather can become ordinary-irregular real quick, though, we’re predicted to get maybe a tenth-to-quarter-of-an-inch.
The only early rainfall count I could find from yesterday — the first of the season — was 0.5 inches, but that’s probably debatable.

And as part of California’s pretty stark/dismal, rainfall/drought saga, the latest rainfall totals from the National Weather Service for my little neck of the woods is pure-obvious shit — at the Eureka-Arcata Airport, about a mile or so away from where I now sit on my ass, rainfall in August was 0.00, and for August 2013, 0.10, and the normal for August, 0.42.

Against grain of the plant, Weed needs rain.

(Illustration: M.C. Escher’s ‘Three Worlds‘ found here).

Of course, if you’re outside grower and your marijuana plants are budding right now — and tis the season — this little spell of wet can be a downer — potency issues, mold, all kinds of shit.
No, the reference was to the tiny town of Weed, located slightly northeast from my coastal spot, and near-about right in the middle of the northern tier of the state, surrounded by nothing but thick-enormous, and very dry national forests.

On Monday, Weed was jarred by a swift-moving forest fire, which caused people to grab what shit they could carry, and literally run for their lives — pushed by 45 MPH winds, a little grass fire turned into scorching blow torch in seemingly nothing flat.
Quickly, more than 150 structures were damaged or destroyed as the blaze charred up whatever in its path.
Via SFGate:

“It’s the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen to hit town,” said Dale Anzo, 44, who has lived in Weed for most of his life and whose house is three doors down from where the blaze’s advance was stopped.
“It looks like a bomb went off in the middle of it. I feel so bad for my neighbors, for all of us.”
…
Most of the damage was in neighborhoods north of the town’s main stretch, near Weed High School and out on Angel Valley Road.
There, it looked as if a tornado of flame had ripped across the landscape, leaving little intact where it touched down.
Melted metal piles were all that was left of many homes.
Even chimneys succumbed to the flames.
A Roman Catholic church was flattened, as was a Presbyterian church across the street.
Only here and there, in the typical way of a catastrophic fire, an odd object remained curiously untouched: a child’s swing set, a toy car, a section of pristine, white picket fence.

Poetic touch there — and resultant-images of dry, dry wood/weeds, and a little spark.
So yesterday, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for two counties in northern California.
And not only in reference to the devastation in Weed, but especially for the crazy, real-big blaze east of Sacramento, the King Fire in El Dorado National Forest, which has already burned nearly 28,000 acres, but is only 5 percent contained: “This thing is just out of control at this point,” said CNN International Meteorologist Ivan Cabrera.
The cause of either of those fires has yet to be determined.

Just another day in the life, I suppose. At least for right now.