Looking out a window at dawn, I was relieved to be able at least to see the sky, which yesterday was obscured all day by smoke.
Helpfully, the temperature had also dropped significantly.
Alas, the reprieve from smoke was temporary….
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Yesterday, I believe we were “yellow”, which gave us that eerie sepia effect.
Today, we’re “red”, according to my weather app, however the sky is still just about visible.
No, the world is not rosy pink.
It looks as if this may not be a good day for a drive to Hidden Valley which takes us toward West Rupert. Not that we entertain going out unnecessarily at such times.
It’s the birds and wildlife we worry about, at risk from the smoke, but mostly the fires:(
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Like so many of my generation and no doubt others that followed, I was taken to see the film “Bambi” at a very tender age, which was when I learned about forest fires.
It’s hard to know for sure, but I believe it was the first time I cried as if my heart would break and I have always thought it was an incredibly inappropriate film for small children.
Was I a particularly emotional little girl? Were other children as affected by it as me? I remember clinging to my mother when I was small, but whether it was due to the trauma of that film, I don’t know.
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Back then I couldn’t have imagined I would one day have Bambi in my back yard.
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The poor mum has her work cut out, but she soon caught up.
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Though I was standing several feet away from the window, the deer turned to face me as if they could sense I was there.
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Flies torment these poor creatures and they are of course a problem to farm animals.
Unless you are in the States, you may not have heard about the screwworm:
The New World Screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, was detected in Texas. The USDA has confirmed roughly 36 cases across 13 Texas counties, prompting quarantine zones, animal shipment restrictions, and the aerial release of over 2 million sterile flies from Moore Air Base in Edinburg to stop the outbreak.
Outbreak Scope: The parasite, which was previously eradicated in the US in 1966, re-emerged in early June 2026. Most confirmed cases have been concentrated in livestock in Southwest Texas.
Control Efforts: Federal and state agencies are enforcing strict animal movement restrictions and utilizing the sterile insect technique to mate wild flies with sterilized ones. A new sterile fly production facility has been opened in Edinburg to support these efforts.
Scientists blame a combination of pandemic-related interruptions in sterile fly production and *gaps in surveillance for the outbreak.
* Done away with by our Secretary of Health
But, like the measles outbreak and the war with Iran, no doubt it is Joe Biden’s fault.
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Probably it was also he who set this fire.
Such a handy scapegoat.
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Ditto on Bambi. Not suitable for children.
This smoke is something else. And here at least, you see it more than smell it.
At present the wind seems to be blowing it away from us, yet only now I feel I can smell it. I can see from online images that it is grim further south. Sadly, unlikely to change any time soon. Why do politicians not drop all the bs and address something this serious? Ah yes – it’s a hoax.
Well, if they all banded together for mighty bipartisan huff-and-puff, they might be able to blow it out to sea. But the accumulated hot air would not be a plus for global warming.
Thank you, Carolyn, for the positive, of sorts, update on the weather conditions, delightful photos of Bambi and mother and various rules and regulations.
Joanna
Lovely pictures of your deer. They are adorable!
Thank you for sharing the update on the “screw worm invasion “. I did not know the history of it, or how they handled it in the past. Very interesting.
Catherine
Every child was traumatised by seeing ‘Bambi’, you were not alone. The smoke from those wildfires is a real issue for the border states near Canada, and so many American bloggers are posting about it.
Stay safe!
Best wishes, Pete.
I never saw the movie ‘Bambi.’ It was only when I was much older that I read what the movie was about – and I’m glad my mum thought it best to keep me away from this one 😢. It’s lovely that you now have your own Bambi movie in your garden – it must be amazing to watch them while they go about their business. Yep, every country has its own scapegoat(s) …
So if it was eradicated in 1966, where did the new outbreak come from? I’m not being facetious (although probably stupid) but this kind of thing always puzzles me.
Reportedly from South and Central America. I’m not sure what means they had in place to stop it crossing the border but RFK Jr has done away with whatever it was.
😬