What a day it's been. The fire came fairly close to Stevenson Ranch last night, then retreated from homes by this morning. I thought the worst was over for Santa Clarita.

But before lunch time, the wind came up again and the fire came back toward the subdivisions. Meanwhile, the sky was overcast with smoke and the sun was just a little red ball. I spent my lunch hour watching the news and working out in the fitness center. But the firefighters have managed to turn back the fire again with the help of a wind shift in the late afternoon. The sky has even sorta cleared.

The worst part for me will be getting home. They had the freeway through town closed for a couple hours, so the surface streets are a nightmare. It may take me forever and a day to get somewhere that should only take me 20 minutes. And I think I'm going to tell the convention not to come tonight. But if this is the worst that happens to me because of the fires, I'll be very blessed.

I'm praying for rain. We need it anyway, and it would help the firefighters so much. They aren't predicting any for the near future, so you can just call me Elijah.