I Love You, California

I love you, California, and I've never been more worried about the present and the future.  I was bobbing along with the other people concerned about environmental impact due to development and climate change and then...just days ago you caught on fire in Malibu down south and Butte county up North and now I put on a face mask to go outside.

What.  Is.  Happening. 

The official state song is a frilly ditty called "I Love You, California" which dates back to 1915, have a look and a listen on the State Library home page:

http://www.library.ca.gov/california-history/state-symbols/

California is the redwood trees in my neighborhood, the lemon tree in my backyard.  It is the scent of sage plants and eucalyptus trees.  It is pelicans flying in formation or resting on a dock.  The sun setting over the Pacific, the cooling fog that wraps the Golden Gate.

I hate to hear about anyplace being consumed by fire, but my heart aches as I see the ash of lives and homes from neighbors up North hanging in air.

We will need to grieve, and to help our neighbors.  And to maximize your gifts, please keep in mind what rescuers are asking for, which is money not items.  If you have food or clothing that you wish to donate, find out what your local food pantry or clothing drive needs.   There are many articles stating that the cost of storing donated goods becomes a burden, and that is already happening in Butte County.  Right now people need money to buy food, pay for shelter, and replace critical items like medicine. 

If you want to give, here are places vetted by Charity Navigator:

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=5456

I also want to signal boost the work being done by the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and their emergency response team that is assisting animals from koi to horses:

https://give.ucdavis.edu/VETM/V435VRT

2018 has unraveled in an ongoing array of environmental calamities, and the final count of the lives and homes lost in Butte County is not yet in.  Right now we need to help, and to grieve, but then we need to plan for ways to live and grow that are not setting up entire towns for future disaster.

I love you, California, I do, and we need to better by the planet and each other.