Fiber Fool

I have no formal plans at this time to really make a Monday post each week about fires in the area, but thig High Park Fire is likely to be significantly impacting our lives for most of the summer. And it seems I’ve been unoffically updating the status of the fire on Mondays. So, for lack of a better post title, that is what you get :-)

As of this morning we are at 45% containment, 58,000+ acres. 181 homes are confirmed lost, making it the most destructive firein Colorado history. It hit a few older developments first where the now required fire breaks were not when it was built up and only some homeowners followed current guidelines. Or at least that is what I’ve been told.

Lots of the roads that were closed this time last week opened up later in the week, but now are once again closed. We are forecasted to hit 100 today and that combined with strong winds has us under a red flag warning so it is unlikely there will be any forward progress on containment percentages. The winds are also not in the favor of town so air quality will likely get bad again this afternoon like it did yesterday. I’m good friends with my N95 mask these days.

The photo at the top of this post was the view from our backyard last Monday evening after knit night. I was unable to capture the entirity of the flaming section nor the proximity it appeared to be with the naked eye. At this point it was less than 2 miles from our house. There was a reservoir and other housing developments between us and it. I will say, when looking at the IR flyover maps from Monday night’s flight and Tuesday night’s flight, they did a phenomenal job at securing the eastern (town-ward) flank. The photo below is what it looked like from the top of our street around 12:30 pm last Monday - scary! The little corner of garage at the lower right, at the end of the cul du sac is ours.

I sure hope the firefighters know how much they are appreciated! Many business around town have changed their signs to read “Thank you firefighters” and similar sentiments. I’m not sure how much they are actually in town though. We really are so lucky we have people like them to do such a dangerous job and do it so well!

I did go on that hike on Saturday and will share stories and photos from that later in the week. I also did a little natural beauty cooking and then lots of photo editing yesterday afternoon and evening while half watching a couple of movies. What did you do this weekend?

DH is hunkered down in major work mode right now trying to wrap up his thesis. He’s much more productive when I’m not around. So tomororw, Saturday June 16th, I’m taking part in a special “Behind the Scenes” hike from 9am - 2pm at Soapstone Natural Area north of Fort Collins.

It’ll be 5-6 miles of moderate hiking. You need to bring lunch, snacks, plenty of water and sunscreen. Some of it will be off trail to parts that are not normally open to the public. We’ll be hiking to several old homesteads and learning some of the history of the property. I’ve heard some talk about the history and it sounds like real live soap opera on the prairie!

The program is FREE! Yay! But registration is required. There is info at http://www.fcgov.com/naturalareas/ (scroll down to “Hike to a Homestead”). Word is the air is quite clear up there so it might be a nice escape from the smoke in town. It is also a small group - currently only 6 people, including the guide so it should be a good time.

Oooo, strawberries! I used to eat so many as a toddler I’d get a rash around my mouth. They are still a favorite fruit of mine.

1. The obvious choice on everyone’s list is fresh picked and unadultered of course!

2. I also love them on low-fat greek yogurt, especially with a dallop of homemade lemon curd! That was the most inspired serving idea of my spring, I have to say. Elevated it from good to decadent!

3. With rhubarb! In the form of jam, or a few weeks ago I roasted rhubarb and towards the end of the roasting added strawberries and meringue for a very low-calorie dessert.

4. In salad, especially with baby spinach, reduced fat feta crumbles, almonds and a really good balsamic vinegar. If they are available, fresh chives or scallions are a nice topper too!

5. In homemade frozen yogurt, which is especially decadent when you strain the yogurt or use the greek variety.

6. In homemade liqueur! DH makes one where vodka and rum are infused with strawberries for probably about a month or so. Delish! One of our most popular homemade liqueurs!

7. On waffles or pancakes, especially with a sprinkle of sliced almonds!

8. Frozen and in a smoothie, especially with some greens and almond butter and maybe some unsweetened cocoa powder and a 1/2 banana for added sweetening.

9. In Rödgröd or “berry pudding.” I’ve only made it once, but it was really good and I need to remember it for times when we’ve over bought berries! This particular one was a mix of raspberries and strawberries and was made from the frozen variety so it is also a nice way to get a berry fix in the middle of winter!

10. I have to end with the obvious since I started with the obvious - with chocolate! Dipped, stuffed, along side a good chocolate bar, on top of a flourless chocolate cake. The form of the chocolate pretty much doesn’t matter :-)

How about you? What is your favorite way to enjoy strawberries? Did I miss it on my list?

I’m sure most of you have heard about the High Park fire now. It was discovered around sunrise on Saturday morning, about 20 miles west of Fort Collins. It is suspected to have been started by lightning. That combined with lots of beetle killed pine trees and winds that have been strong and erratic, what was a 200 acre fire Saturday morning is now nearly 37,000 acres and still growing!

It has spread as fast as 1.5 miles per hour and is now burning in Lory State Park and on our side of some of the ridges. Gateway, Bobcat Ridge and Reservoir Ridge Natural Areas have been closed with other foothills parks and open spaces being watched carefully. Most every outdoor program has been canceled city-wide. The Poudre school district has cancelled all indoor and outdoor programs for the week.

The picture at the top is what it looked like from our house (on the west side of Fort Collins) around sunset on Saturday evening. The below photo is about 4pm Sunday and that is the same house in the both images.

We are not in any immediate danger, other than smoke-related respiratory issues. And I’m not going to lie that smoke has been a real problem at points. Especially since we have no AC to help keep particulates in the house down. Last night just after sun down we could barely see the houses across the open space.

100s of homes are evacuated to the county fairgrounds on I-25 between Fort Collins and Loveland. A top level national management team is to be taking over the efforts to control the fire today. But prayers and positive energy are greatly needed right now. For those managing and those fighting the fire, for those displaced and who have lost their homes or waiting on word about the state of their homes, for the medical personel in the county who are treating those dealing with smoke issues and for all of us worrying about people we know who have evacuated. We could really use some help from mother nature in the form of reduced winds and very measurable precipitation.

Two years of unknown mold exposure in my apartment in North Dakota has left me predisposed to bronchitis. Despite that, I’m doing okay. I can only assume part of that is due to my improved fitness. But immediately on Saturday I started allergy medication and Mucinex and increased my water consumption by an additional 24 ounces to keep things flowing and hopefully keep me free of bronchial problems. I’ve not exercised since early Saturday morning as during the last fire it was measurable smoky even in the gym. I do not need to be forcing those smoke particles deeper into my lungs at this point. I miss it though, especially with the stress - exercise has become my outlet for stress.

I’m taking some comfort in the fact that it was likely started by nature. That is a much better answer than it being a careless recreator throwing a cigarette butt out their car window, or starting a campfire despite a fire ban. While it is massively destructive and disruptive, at least there is a bit of awe-inspiring beauty in it all. I do wish I were looking on from a bit more of a distance, however!

Thank you to all who have written expressing concern! Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Just a couple weeks ago 10 on Tuesday was about summer goals. Perhaps it is the high temps, but I feel like checking in and seeing how they are progressing…

I really haven’t touched the creative goals much yet. Having worked creatively for so long I know sometimes you just have to fill the well and take things in and not worry about the creating. There are things stirring in my brain, but nothing solid enough to motivate me into action just yet.

For the fitness goals I’m doing so-so. On a positive note I’m regularly covering a 5K distance. Not running the full distance yet, which is my goal for actually entering one. But this morning’s was accomplished in 42 minutes and I climbed 500 ft too! I’m still uncertain on what a realistic time goal will be. But I would have never guessed I’d already be at 42 minutes without pushing too much. Maybe a 30 minute one is possible? And maybe I’ll have to sign up before the October Homecoming one? But exercise has been more like 3 or 4 times a week with the bike out of commission and issues with weather and air quality and allergies. Although, the days I do work out I really make it count and often clock 90 minutes or more so I probably shouldn’t beat myself up about it.

Nutritionally I’m doing pretty well. I have definitely amped up the general veggie intake, enjoying a good cup or more of fresh veggies with my sandwich at lunch. This week I added a yummy soy-wasabi spread/dip which I shared at knit night on Monday. So I’m eating more greens - sugar snap peas, broccoli, cucumber, edamame :-) But the not the greens I was talking about in my post, LOL!

On the fun side of things, DH is going to take a fun break from thesis work this weekend to go to Taste of Fort Collins with me at some point. It has been a few years since we’ve been so I’m looking forward to it. And, for sanity’s sake we’re planning on biking to/from instead of dealing with car traffic and parking issues. I don’t know at this point if anyone else we know is going and if we’ll meet up with them if they are. While it isn’t a movie date, it is a date and with his deadline looming I’ll take it!

Another upside to packing my lunch all the time is more reading time. I often read on my lunch break which helps pick up the slack from my running on the treadmill (I can walk and read, but running and reading is beyond me). And my book choices have been pretty decent so I’m actually bummed if I need to run an errand or that over my break instead. It is nice to have a “reward” for being thriftier and healthier! So I’m actually really close to having finished two ficiton books this month. To be fair one was started in May, but I’m averaging about 1 cozy murder mystery a week. I’ll probably do a post on books I’ve read lately before too long.

How about you? Have you done anything towards your summer goals yet? Read any good escapist fiction? Had any fun dates with your loved ones?