I’d planned on writing today, but a 4:30am sounding of alarms and sirens due to a fire half a block away caused that plan to vanish. At noon, the fire seems finally out, but the smoke lingers. While I’m tried and cranky from lack of sleep, I’m not nearly as exhausted as the fire fighters of the New Orleans Fire Department. They are amazing, from maneuvering those huge trucks down these narrow, car-lined streets to keeping a huge house fire from spreading to other properties. 

Thank you, NOFD. You did a great job this morning.