Rain could ignite more fires? GAH!!! I assume they're talking lightning?

Tornado fire? Extremely scary.

I don't mean to belittle the difficulty of rebuilding or the pain of losing one's house (and all of its contents). That's no small thing and it's life-changing. I try to look on the positive side, though, and I'm thankful that if they do lose everything, they have the means to rebuild with. There are a lot of people who lost everything who will be far worse off than they. As of yesterday, my uncle whose house is in Ramona, has a functioning answering machine at his place so we're assuming at least part of his house is still there.

It's easy to get down when you see a lot of destruction and suffering all around you. As someone who *needs* rain to be happy, I know how depressing it is be in a drought. I think I'm sort of backwards from the usual SAD patients. :) If I don't see rain often enough, I get moody and negative.

My understanding was that rain could hit electrical stuff that hasn't blown up yet and spark explosions. Or something. In any case it's not coming but it looks cautiously like we're starting to get the worst of this behind us.

I knew you weren't belittling the rebuilding process, and there's nothing wrong with looking on the bright side. I'm just finding that difficult because I'm here in the middle of it, breathing sooty air and longing desperately for rain (I used to hate rain; that should tell you how bad the draught is, that I get hopeful every time I see clouds).

GAH! That sounds horrible! No disaster is complete, I suppose, without the hundred calamities that follow on its heels. *sigh*

I completely understand your position. We weren't hit by Katrina but the overwhelming sense of disaster and depression at watching folks lose everything was just incredibly awful and something I would prefer to never repeat.

Yeah, exactly. Today, I'm feeling better. The fires are out of my mind unless someone brings them up.