OK here. So sorry about all the trouble out there.

Glad that the Valley Of The Rogue is OK.

Safe here.

Safe here as well

This is a great idea

We should all be careful about strenuous activities - like digging holes for roses - just kidding about that, but really the particulate matter from the smoke and ash travels far and wide. It is extremely damaging to the lungs. It's even smoky here at the coast - even though we're far from the actual fires, we have ash settling every day on everything - so if you're outside, you're breathing that ash into your lungs. The sun is just an orange ball in the sky - it's really kinda freaky.

Thank you, Sheila, Jeri, Stephanie, Kristine and BirdsLoveRoses. Thankfully, you are all safe and will continue to be out of the reach of the fires. I hope this thread will help forum members stay informed of those in dangerous areas. Birds, you are right about the particulates in the smoke. It's definitely not healthy to breathe. Another reason to stay indoors when you can.

Since most of California has large fires somewhere near it, I guess the entire state would qualify as a "fire area". We are fine here, except for the smoke and ash. We have HUGE fires to the North , North-East, East, and South of us, but none very close. Whichever way the wind blows, it is blowing from a large fire, so the smoke just comes no matter what. Last night on the weather report they said that the SF Bay area is even not OK if the wind is blowing directly in from the Ocean, because the new fires in Oregon are sending smoke out to sea, and it is swirling around and coming South and then into SF Bay!

The weirdest day was a few days ago when the entire sky was ORANGE from the moment the sun came up until it went down. Very dark all day - sort of like "darkness at noon". Our gardener showed up at 8AM, and luckily we had some large sort of work for him to do - removing a giant mound of dead Mme Alfred Carriere from the roof of our garage (the pine tree it was climbing on had been taken down by the neighbor whose property it was on, and MAC did not appreciate that), and also pruning off some tree branches which had decided to rest on the same roof, and putting all of the debris in the back of my DH's pick-up truck to go to the dump. Then we had him cut the top third off of a wild plum tree which had gotten too tall. That is not small detail work, and he managed it OK. The good news there was that after he did that, I was able to see that some of the main canes of MAC were putting out new growth at the level of the garage roof, so I knew it was not dead. It was TOO DARK for me to be able to investigate those, which was very frustrating. I had planned to do a lot of rose pruning, but it was too dark for me to feel confidant that I would be able to tell dead wood from live - that is hard enough to do sometimes when there is enough light. So, we spent the entire day in a sort of orange dusk. By the next day the sky was leaden grey again, which is a combination of water vapor from fog/overcast coming in from the Bay, and smoke. That has persisted ever since. When the "sun comes out" as the water vapor burns off in the afternoon, the sky stays grey, now from 100% smoke. There is a thin film of ash all over all of the plants - very sad.

Meanwhile, I have a nephew who lives in Ashland, OR where a fire started one evening lately, and then went straight North through 2 tiny towns (which it burnt up), and then into Medford, which is a city of 82,000. It moved so fast I only found out the next day when I picked up an email from him which he had sent at 3AM, saying he was packing up, and helping the 95 yr old lady next door to do that too, and they were leaving. It turned out that they were never officially evacuated, as the fire moved away from Ashland so fast, but the 2 tiny towns are mostly al burnt up, as well as part of Medford. My nephew is hosting a family of friends & their pets whose house did did burn, and he told me he has a turtle living in his bathtub!

So far we have been very lucky, and we still have electricity, despite being told by PG&E that they might have to turn it off at any time. We were scheduled to go up to our cabin tomorrow for a week, but I called a neighbor up there, and she said that she could not see out of her windows, so we are not going. Interesting times, to say the least.

Jackie

A meth addict started the Almeda fire.

Very glad to hear so many of you are OK! Please all stay safe and hugs and prayers for you all!

We are less than an hour from a fire here . We had one day where there was no sun , then it seemed clear, and now it smells like fire outside . I hope they can get it under control soon. My parents on the other side of the country worry so much about us . It feels like we are extra stuck here bc of the virus.

Jacqueline, yes, the entire west coast is a fire area. I hope your MAC lives to be a reminder that beauty can come out of ashes. Bless your nephew for opening his home for those in need and for seeing after his elderly neighbor. I'm struck to the core seeing photos of the beautiful scenery along the coast that is going up in flames. Some of the most beautiful scenery in the US is along the west coast.

Lilyfinch, this is something you didn't bargain for. Old timers, like me, grew up with 'fire season', but unfortunately, you got there for the worst of it. I've never seen anything like it. I lived most of my life in SoCal, in the hills, with acres and acres of dry brush, and was on alert to evacuate only once.

Over here on the eastern side of WA, near the Idaho line, we went to bed with clear skies and woke up to the orange glow. The fires are no closer, but the wind changed. I'm so sorry for those of you who have been breathing this gunk for days and days.

Our Dear Lilyfinch and Friends,

These are the words of Spokane County Fire Chief last month;

A Level 1 evacuation means you should be aware there’s a fire near your home. Level 2 means you need to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. And Level 3 means you need to leave.

“You may not get more notification than a knock at your door and really you need to be prepared for that knock,” said Schaefer.

You never know how long you’ll have to evacuate your home.

That’s why having a plan is key. Like making sure all of your critical documents are easy access.

You should always have a two-minute evacuation plan in place for your family, and pets or livestock.

I will see my family differently today, not taking anything for granted

photo from internet.

Jenny - how scary - I’m glad that you’re safe, and hope that your home will be spared.

berrypie - good advice re having an evacuation plan, thanks for sharing.

This thread makes me want to cry. Berry pie thank you for the advice. I’ll be honest I have not given much thought since it seems so far away but tomorrow I’m having my husband help me set aside some things and just be prepared.

Jenny , I’m so glad you are out successfully and will be praying for your home to be spared as well . Please update us , and then when the time is right don’t be a stranger ! We love new rose friends here .

Lilyfinch - thank you so much for your kind words. I loved your garden in Tennessee and am happy you are creating a beautiful new haven in California. I will join all of you more often. The only reason I have not posted more before now, is living in the middle of a mature forest is not ideal for roses. Mine are spindly and bloom only every now and then and so are not photogenic, but I love them all just the same.

Lilyfinch-thinking about you, I'm relieved to hear you will be ready if need be. I know you are brave and will be strong for your family.

We still don't have a car, but when we get one I thought of keeping basic things - water, sleeping bags , extra clothes, supplies already in the trunk.

Jenny - I'm so sorry you have to go through this , it is unbelievably tragic how fast and widespread the nightmare has become. It's good your family is safe there together.

My son just read the fire update to me, it is gut wrenching. One good ray of hope is the weather report said there may be rain Monday.

Jenny - welcome. Post your pictures when you're ready. We won't judge...roses are roses and we're a rose family here.

I'm nowhere near any fire, and just praying for all of you who are worried, in trouble or grieving. Be safe.

Thank you for the prayers Carol that we all desperately need. It's my soul's stability when my mind tends to despair. My youngest son's family in Washington is always a concern to me , I look up the fire tracking reports to see if he, wife, and the four little girls are ok.

Lizzy looking like a woodland animal

Ingrid just posted on another thread and is safe. Lilyfinch, please let us know if Lisa's area is in danger. Roseseek is in a beach area I think. Anyone, please let us know if you hear from him. There are others so I won't start to name each one because I'll leave someone out for sure. I think our members with farm animals are all in the midwest. I can't imagine evacuating flocks and herds and multiple pets.

Jenny, welcome! Your garden problems sound familiar. I live in a pine forest. It's challenging getting roses to grow and bloom with only filtered light. We're all dealing with something; pests, extreme weather, shade, poor soil, etc., etc., and we all understand. I've been growing roses forever, but I have learned so much from the experienced rosarians here since google directed me here with a question about fertilizer 5 years ago. I'm still here, learning something new every time I log on.

Berrypie, darling little Lizzy looks like she's standing in my backyard.

flowersaremusic -- you asked about Roseseek and I've seen him posting on other social media, so I am sure he is OK so far. I've been very absent from the forum because of lots of other stuff in my life right now, but just came back briefly to check in and see if everyone was OK. I'm sad to hear about some of the situations described above, but happy that overall everyone is still doing OK despite the terrible situation! Hang in there everybody!

Seattle is OK but very very smoky. We have been stuck inside the house for several days and I can't see the hill behind my house anymore, the smoke is so thick. However, I heard that clean air is coming from off the coast and will get here sometime tomorrow. Then storms are brewing which should bring rain to the PNW sometime next week -- I hope the same weather system hits California! Hoping for rain for all of the West Coast.

Thank you! Yes ma'am, we're safe with no fires anywhere near us. LOTS of smoke, just as everyone else is enduring, so we're remaining indoors to limit as much smoke inhalation as possible. I'm glad it seems everyone is safe, at least so far. Prayers we all remain safe and healthy! You can tell the color temperature of the light from the color of this Devoniensis. It really is "white".

BerryPie - we never stop being parents. :) Keep us posted as to how they're doing.

K S - yes...rain for the whole west coast!! I'm sorry you and so many others have to breathe that smoke.

Roseseek - beautiful bloom!! So strange how it changed color.

Thank you, K S, for responding. I sincerely hope the clean air blew in off the ocean, as expected. I think we all just want to take a good, clean deep breath.

Kim, thank you for checking in. I'm relieved to know you're safe. Your Devoniensis definitely shows what the air looks like. At least it's not brown. I don't know if that makes it any better, but it looks cleaner. Some of us have noticed our roses look darker. So, it's just that we are seeing them through a veil of smoke rather than the roses actually taking on deeper colors.

K S, fan some of that clean air eastward, please. Our air quality is off the charts, literally, as it is everywhere in the western states. We are not in fire danger, but we are surrounded with fires in Idaho, too, so no matter which way the wind blows, it seems to be settling here. Rain was forecast for today, but it's holding off until the weekend.

Thanks for starting this thread Flowers, and I'm happy to see so many posting who are basically safe under not so good conditions. I, too, wish for rain for everyone and lots of it. We haven't had any rain since May. It's smoky here, but bearable. Keep safe, everyone. Diane

Flowersaremusic, unfortunately the weather reports were wrong and we are still mired in smoke here in Seattle -- yesterday we were the city with the third worst air quality in the world (after Portland and Vancouver WA). But the air quality numbers we are seeing here (in the 220s mostly) are nothing compared to some areas in Oregon and Eastern WA. I hope the weather forecasters are correct this time when they predict that we might see cleaner air on Friday (since they were so wrong before -- who knows!) I'm hoping this clears out soon so the whole PNW can breathe again! Hang in there!

Flowers , Lisa is in an area with poor air quality but as far as I can tell no fires . We text and she seems to be doing good ! :)

Thanks, Lily, I wish Lisa would post, and I'm hoping she's still checking the threads out. How's her cute granddaughter doing? I hope Lisa is able to visit her a lot. Diane

For those who don't have air quality issues you might not be aware of this web site that shows a visual map of the air quality in North America. Scroll out to show the entire country.

https://gispub.epa.gov/airnow/?xmin=-12440279.227469007&ymin=4383204.949985149&xmax=-10953120.405152617&ymax=5324909.138458521&clayer=ozonepm&mlayer=none

It is truly horrifying to see what is happening on the west coast and pacific northwest.

The worst we have had is purple air but they have many areas with maroon air.

For anything orange and above we wear 3M respirators. You can get them on Amazon. 3M 6300 is large, 3M 6200 is medium and 3M 6100 is small.

For general purpose high yellow and orange air we use 3M 2097 p100 filters. They also filter light ozone and organic vapors.

3M Particulate Filter P100 Respiratory Protection, 2097/07184(AAD), 2/PK

For fire smoke you might want to go with a higher powered organic vapor and p100 filter. 3M Organic Vapor Cartridge/Filter 60921, P100 Respiratory Protection (Pack of 2)

We also have the acid gas, organic vapor and p100 filter. These also might be good for wildfire smoke as they can contain many different things.

3M 60923 Organic Vapor/Acid Gas Cartridge/Filter 60923, PK/YW

3M has a web site with all their cartridge options. I just include these here in case anyone wants a cheat sheet for what we chose.

Try to buy 3M branded filters as I don't know if the knock offs would be as good.

This is terrible!! And I'm sure that very few people have respirators.

I can see that Calgary is almost impacted.

Lilyfinch, thank you for letting us know about Lisa. I bet she is so starry eyed with her new grand baby, she's lost all sense of time and space, especially if she's getting to see her in person. I'm grateful to know she's out of the path of the fires. I hope she's recovering well from the surgery, too.

K S, I don't know why eastern Washington's air quality is so bad. Family in CA are in the 'unhealthy' zone. Ours is in the 'hazardous' zone, and I can't keep my asthmatic husband inside. He's been digging holes and forging new pathways in the brush all morning.

Yesterday it was 498 and today it's in the 480s, so getting better. We're north of Spokane and it's a bit better here. There are no fires nearby, and our air quality is normally very good. The visibility is just over 1000 ft. to our normal 10 miles.

mmmm, I didn't see your post until just now. Thank you for the links and good information about masks and filters. I will look at the links as soon as I post this.

I'm looking out now at an almost clear sky. Things have improved rapidly here, and I hope the air quality is better for all of you, too. Now, if we could all just get that rain they keep talking about.

Carol, I don't know what part of Canada you're in. I hope not in Calgary where it must be difficult to breathe.

Oh fer petessake. Houzz disappeared my little short post. I'll get back later, but want to say that Carol is in Calgary, I believe. Diane

mmmm, thanks for the post on current air quality. Wow is it bad in OR and WA! We had just one day in the 400s and I stayed inside all day after waking up to the whole house smelling like smoke and then going to ACE to buy a better filter for our house AC/heater. We just run the fan continuously now to recirculate the house air through the filter and it helps. I was lucky they still had a few good filters left in the size we needed.

Stephanie - I do the same thing - I keep the windows closed & run the central heat/AC circulation fan constantly, so that it pulls the air inside the house through the filter. It really does help!

The air quality here in the SF Bay Area is still bad, but much much better than it was last week. Hopefully we will all get some fresh air soon, and most importantly that the PNW will get some rain!

Flowers - yes, I'm in Calgary. I went for an hour and a half walk today and didn't have any problems. I just checked and the air quality is moderately bad. Guess I'll stop walking for awhile. No worries here...unlike so many of you and so many others. I hope you get rain, Flowers and everywhere it's needed.

Yesterday for the first time in a week, our air quality here was "yellow", which is moderate - the only better one is green. We don't have air conditioning - living 4 blocks from SF Bay, we never needed it. Anyway, last night also for the first time in a week, I was able to open lots of windows and put fans on overnight (it gets cool/cold here every night, no matter how hot it is in the day), and got lots of fresh cool air into the house. Yay! So sad, though - most of the rest of CA, and OR and WA are still red or worse.

Jackie

Come on gentle rain .

Yeah, Kristine. We haven't had any since May, and it's smoky as all get out here. The prediction is 20 per cent chance for us--not very good. You guys west of the Cascades hog it all--heh. Diane

Carol, I know you are a lot tougher than I am with your dead of winter walks in summer clothes, but breathing this sooty air can't be good. You don't have the fires, but you get to enjoy our smoke. I'm sorry about that.

flowers - thanks for caring! Actually the air quality was good. But I just checked and tomorrow it's going to be moderate. So I'll probably stay inside as I have breathing issues (coughing/asthma I guess). Thanks for getting me to check! :)

I hear that 60 firefighters from Quebec are helping with fires in California because the California governor reached out to help. :)

At 11 o'clock yesterday the air dropped a few levels to only mostly horrible. Enough to water and dead head a bit

I came in at noon to feed Azalea ( my daughter not my shrub ) and by 1 o'clock it was all back again.

It sounds like the chance of actual rain is slim. We have been in yhe hazardous range for a week

I cant even take the baby outside

Good to hear everyone is safe. We have hazy skies in the east coast from the west coast fires! Its traveled so far to have an impact. I can't even imagine what you guys are going through. Praying for you all.

Thank you to the Quebec firefighters. May they all stay safe. I hope they know how much that means to the US that they are with us.

Kristine, the air has been like that here, too. Not so bad in the morning, luring us into a false notion that it's getting better, then by afternoon, it's back to where it was the day before. What I don't understand is that I can look out my north facing windows and see a totally different atmosphere than when I look south.

111plisa, that's incredible, but I keep hearing about it. Your prayers are appreciated!

Kristine - horrible and scary!!

flowers - yes, I hope all of the firefighters stay safe...horrible job...but thank God for them!

We're level 3 which is still in the safe zone.