walk timing and party time, plus some bookkeeping

Today I learned that it only takes me 65 minutes to walk home from the nearest trailhead at the national park, and the part that goes up the east side of the local ridge has the best air. The flat part of the park was worse, but not nearly as bad as the top of the local ridge, which is unfortunately pretty close to where I live. I also learned that the more exercise you get, the better you tolerate bad air, but the air has to be good enough that you can get started. So, if you're me, and you start at the park, wander around for an hour or so, and then head home, you're decently equipped to make it through that last mile along the ridge, even if it smells kind of funny through the HEPA filters strapped to your face.

In news that is related in that it occurred at the same time I was going for a walk, the really, really sick lady's husband and my husband installed a water heater today. These men look after some pretty sick ladies, and for that they deserve much more than an occasional beer. I was informed that they had three beers, but only after they were sure the water connections were solid.

And here's the bookkeeping:
Because I keep track of this kind of thing, people have started calling me asking what's wrong with the air. What I know is that a strong inversion has been trapping pollution and wood smoke for two weeks now with no end in sight. Inversions turn over with a nice breeze, and we haven't had a wind much over 7 mph, and one isn't predicted next week, either. 24-hour-averaged PM2.5 levels have been on the border between good and moderate, and clearly that is the limit of tolerance for more than one local EI. Dispersion improves in the late afternoon, but fireplace use is high between Thanksgiving and New Year's, so what little improvement may occur is promptly swamped when everybody lights their fires for the evening.

So pray for a decent cold front -- with a good breeze -- to come through and clean out the air.