A space to heal

I WRITE THIS ON OCT. 25, as another fire-weather watch is declared over Northern California. I can hear the wind screaming past the windows, straining the trees. I know from experience that this wind can make a spark rip through dried grass and brush in an instant. Every time a gust picks up, I feel a knot tighten in my gut.

Westerners try to control fire with chainsaws, fire retardant, bulldozers, and the sweat and blood