Thirsty Wind

 Considering this part of the world endures some of the most brutal winters on the planet, one of the remarkable things about Ukraine is the summer heat. We arrived in the middle of one of the longest droughts in history. Not a drop of rain fell upon our heads the entire time we were there. Not even a cloud. This drought coupled with temperatures of over 100 degrees F spread across the entire region and created conditions that caused wildfires in Russia and Ukraine of epic proportions. Some of these wildfires occurred in places with high concentrations of radioactivity, sparking concerns that the ensuing smoke carried with it the danger of radioactive poisoning. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev declared a state of emergency in seven of the affected regions. A constant hot wind blew across the countryside every minute of every day. Our cousin Lucy called it "Thirsty Wind". Fortunately for us, the "Thirsty Wind" blew most of the smoke from these wildfires away from us most of the time.