This is fine. Everything is fine.

We moved to Utah for the mountains. The clean air. The blue skies that go on forever.

Friday was a perfect day, until the wind kicked up and the sky turned orange.

The Eureka Fire, burning about 80 miles southeast near Eureka, Utah, sent its smoke north on red flag winds and by late afternoon our neighborhood looked like a sepia filter had been applied to the entire valley. Our view of Bald Mountain had basically disappeared. And the sun — the sun was a dim pink orb floating in a jar of honey.

I went outside to take a photo and immediately smelled campfire, which sounds cozy until you realize there's ash raining down on your deck furniture.

None of this is surprising in retrospect. This past winter was the warmest on record for Utah, with one of the lowest snowpacks ever recorded — peaking in early March at about half of what the state typically sees by April, then melting out weeks early. Wildfire season has already seen over 230 fires statewide this year, and fire officials say fire behavior is ramping up a couple of weeks earlier than usual. So. That's the backdrop

We closed the windows, checked the air quality app, and stayed inside.

By Saturday the sky was blue again. Nobody mentioned this in the relocation brochures. I feel that was an oversight.