October heats up

Sunday. Dress rehearsal. JE stayed to watch. It was a nice show, not too much to alter. Fire was on everyones mind and everyones monitor. Several people gave notice that they may have to leave at anytime to go fetch loved ones and or animals. A bit touchy. Outside the wind was obscene. There were branches and garbage floating everywhere.
I worked all day and could smell fire as we were leaving the theater around 9:30. A bit discomforting, theaters and fire really don't mix well. As we drove home past Irvine we could see huge raging fire on the hills above Foothill ranch. Really really big fire and a whole lot of it.
Monday I woke up at 6am and peeked outside. I could see the smoke, but couldn't smell it. I walked JE to work at 8, but turned around after 5 minutes, the wind was shifting. After I dropped JE off, I got ready for my day but was halted when I looked outside and saw the light coming in was deep dirty yellow. The sky was so thick with smoke and ash was falling from the sky. I went outside. no cars, no birds, no people. Burnt offerings falling from heaven--3 inches long. Like the last woman standing after a nuclear holocaust, really eerie. My neighbor showed up wearing a dust mask. He was just returning from work, where he had let all his people go for the day because their building was full of smoke. My other neighbor came outside on her porch to smoke--go figure. We talked and I was very late for work. I was so rattled by that it was hard to concentrate, even though as I left Irvine, the smoke dissipated.
JE called to tell me he had the day off, a "smoke day."
Today was better. Still a lot of ash, but not so much smoke. the fires are not quite so visible.
My grandmother in San Marcos may have been evacuated, I can't get in touch with her. If I know her she thinks of this as an adventure.