On Mastodon my #CLmooc friend, Sarah Honeychurch, put out an invitation to join Blaugust 2026. Needing a distraction from the US decay, local wildfires, and the heat, this sounds like a great idea to connect with other creators.
What is Blaugust?
“For anyone arriving here for the very first time Blaugust is a month-long event that takes place each August which focuses on blogging primarily and has started to include other forms of serialized content over the last several years. The goal is to stoke the fires of creativity and allow bloggers and other content creators to mingle in a shared community while pushing each other to post more regularly. Above all the goal of Blaugust has always been to prove to folks that they can in fact sit down every day and create something fresh and then share it with the world. Posting regularly builds a community and in this era of AI-slop content, our voices are needed even more than we ever have been at any point in the past. Our hope is to create a nurturing environment where Veteran bloggers can help those just getting started and the cross-pollination of ideas can create something truly spectacular. Your blog gives you a permanent foothold on the Internet that you own and have complete control of, and that is a really good feeling in the midst of shifting trends.”
Blaugust 2026
You Can Join To
If you want to learn about Blaugust, click here: Blaugust 2026
If you want to join, the sign up form is here.
Hope to see you there!
My Blaugust
I’ve been blogging for years. Sometimes educational conversations, sometimes poetry, sometimes photography, sometimes Daily Create, and recently my art. See About Me for more information and blogs.
I post weekly about my art, so my Blaugust will bring me back to photography, poetry, or a Daily Create. They will all be shared under the category: The Daily on my Art Blog.
I hope you’ll join us…
August 2nd Blaugust: Fire Season – The World Today
Wildfire
It’s fire season across the United States, and our area is inundated with fires that have devastated too many areas of the Colville Confederated Tribal communities. Many have lost everything– including homes that raised generations of their children and the homes of young families. Our community continues to donate and give so that families and property can be uplifted from this tragedy. Info: Kaiser Canyon Fire.
Other fires can be seen on the same map all over Eastern Washington State. A fire in Spokane raced through a housing development destroying over six hundred homes.
In the image above, see the smoke covered sky blocking the sun, and the type of terrain in our area: sagebrush, rabbitbrush, pine trees, and grasses. North of us, forests are burning. Photo taken August 1st at Crescent Bay on the Columbia River near Grand Coulee Dam.
Europe is also fending with extremely dry and hot weather creating fires across Spain and France. This article in the Guardian explains the effects of climate change on the world: ‘Extremely scary findings’ show climate crisis is supercharging Europe’s wildfire weather.
Climate Change
In our area, we now call the summer season, Fire Season, and it is caused by climate change.
Some information:
A 2016 study found climate change enhanced the drying of organic matter and doubled the number of large fires between 1984 and 2015offsite link in the western United States. A 2021 study supported by NOAA concluded that climate change has been the main driver of the increase in fire weatheroffsite link in the western United States.
NOAA
Note: I’m surprised the current administration leaves this page up.
Climate change-driven droughts and extreme heat events increase the drying of organic matter in forests, the material that burns and spreads wildfire. Compared with 35 years ago, fire seasons are a month longer in parts of the United States, starting earlier and ending later. Additionally, between 2001 and 2020, the average peak wildfire growth rate in the United States nearly doubled.
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
Perhaps the deniers in the United States will now at least believe we need to curtail our use of fossil fuels.
Remember…
Everyone is helping– no matter their gender, faith, politics. We are neighbors, and we stand up to help one another. No matter what the current administration says about those he disagrees with — your neighbors are not your enemy– they are working together to help us through this catastrophe.
Next, protect yourself for smoke and extreme heat. Here are a few suggestions provided by FEMA and EPA:
Prepare for Extreme Heat [FEMA]
Prepare a Clean Room [EPA]
DIY Air Filter [EPA]
I’m thankful that other countries are following through with efforts to curb climate change, and I hope my own returns to its work and promises. I know my state, Washington, is actively helping:
- Washington Department of Commerce: Climate Change as a Business Decision
- Washington Climate Action At Work
- Washington Climate Partnerships
On a hike in December, I found newly growing yarrow! In December? Time to wake up people!
Stay safe everyone!
Note to help the local victims
Note: If you’d like to help the people of the Colville Confederated Tribes who have lost homes in which generations of children grew up, you can donate to the official tribal recover fund–go to the Cedar Fund Wildfire Recovery Campaign on Zeffy.
A little art for the times:
Community Action
Learn and Grow Together for the Planet
I wonder, if I draw a line... 
In 100 years I wonder how researchers will describe this era in our history. I saw a map today showing wildfires across the Western half of the USA. So much suffering is implied by that map. Thanks for sharing your resources.
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In 100 years I hope there still are researchers — or that the info is still there, not wiped out. That the people still exist, working together instead of thinking everyone else is an enemy.
Like everyone in these catastrophes, help locally– build community and trust again in each other. Love your neighbor; help each other. That will then be the story in 100 years.That we became better humans.
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