We are closing in on a full week of being on tenterhooks. The phrase means to be in a state of anxiety, suspense, or painful anticipation. The expression comes from a very practical origin in the textile industry: A tenter was a wooden frame used to stretch woolen cloth after washing, preventing it from shrinking as it dried. The cloth would be attached to the frame using metal hooks (tenterhooks) to hold it taut. This process of being stretched tight on the hooks gave rise to the metaphorical meaning of being in a state of tension or distress. So when someone says they’re “on tenterhooks,” they’re expressing that they’re in an anxious, suspended state – much like the cloth pulled taut on the drying frame. You might hear it in contexts like “I was on tenterhooks waiting for the test results” or “The audience was on tenterhooks during the climax of the play.” The common misspelling “tenter hooks” likely arose because many people aren’t familiar with the historical textile process that gave rise to the phrase. I find it particularly appropriate to describe the feeling we are having in Southern California at this moment. Our wildfire problems, which are currently focused on the Los Angeles area and are afflicting hundreds of thousands of residents ranging from the proverbial rich and famous of Malibu to the working class of Altadena, is something that the “drying rack” of our proximity to the deserts to the East and the winds that seasonally switch directions and flow down the mountains to the coast (called the Santa Ana winds based on their mountain point of origin) put us quite appropriately on tenterhooks.
When I look at my weather app right now (it is the middle of the night, early on Tuesday morning), it says that from 4pm Monday until 6pm Wednesday, we are on a Red Flag Warning. A Red Flag Warning is an official weather alert issued by the National Weather Service in the United States to warn of conditions that could lead to extreme fire behavior. These warnings indicate that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring or will occur shortly. The specific conditions that typically trigger a Red Flag Warning include:
1. Strong winds (usually sustained winds of 15 mph or greater)
2. Low relative humidity (typically less than 25%)
3. Warm temperatures
4. Dry fuels (vegetation)
These conditions in combination create an environment where fires can start easily, can spread rapidly and can become difficult to control, allowing small fires to quickly grow into large fires. The National Weather Service says that when a Red Flag Warning is in effect, people in the affected area should avoid outdoor burning of any kind, properly dispose of cigarettes, avoid activities that could create sparks, be prepared to evacuate if necessary, and, most importantly, stay informed and attuned to local conditions. Red Flag Warnings are particularly important for fire departments, emergency management officials, and residents in fire-prone areas, as they help with preparedness and risk management during potentially dangerous fire weather conditions. In other words, we are all supposed to be on tenterhooks.
I’m sure that the people in the textile industry that use (or more likely used to use) tenterhooks, did so with the expectation that this was a relatively short term process and that the high pressure nature of the action was not sustainable long term. That’s kinda where we are getting to around here at this point. We get numerous texts from friends far and wide asking how we are holding up and are we OK. Yes, we are OK and yes, as bad as we feel for the people of Los Angeles that are in or right up against this calamity, we are happy that our area has remained without any serious fires.
Yesterday I passed our friends Faraj and Yasuko on the road taking their afternoon walk. They live on the northeastern side of our common hilltop. I explained to Faraj that I was counting on him to be out fire watch commander for our neighborhood given that he was positioned to keep an eye on the eastern front. I told him I expected him to throw himself between us and the fire should it come our way. His response was that he would at least give us a warning call, which is certainly the most we could expect under those nasty circumstances. I explained that given my positioning, I would certainly do the same for him should we be faced with a tsunami and the potential for inland flooding. Given that we are 12 miles from the ocean and at 1,600 feet of elevation, none of us is losing much sleep on account of tsunami risk. Meanwhile, wildfire risk on a brush-covered ridgeline that is as dry as a bone with no meaningful rain since May probably had a number of us up tonight checking the Cal Fire maps and looking for any proximity of fire to us.
When I look at the Cal Fire Map, as I do ten times a day, I start by looking at San Diego County, especially our North County area. Then I look in detail at the area around Pasadena where the Eaton Fire has burned 14,000 acres and is only 33% contained. Our nephew Josh and his family were evacuated a week ago and their house is only several blocks from houses that burned down. Then I look at the Palisades Fire that has burned 24,000 acres and is only 14% contained. My half-sister lives in Santa Monica and has been under evacuation orders for a week since she is only separated from the fire by several golf holes of the Riviera Country Club. Is there any history of golf courses burning? Yes, there are several notable examples of golf courses being affected by wildfires: the 2017 Tubbs Fire in California, in 2018, the Carr Fire in California, the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, and in 2020, the Holiday Farm Fire in Oregon. But, golf courses can sometimes serve as firebreaks during wildfires due to their expansive irrigated areas. Then, finally I make sure to look at the situation in Camarillo, where Kim’s sister Sharon, husband Woo and now their Pasadena son’s family are sheltering in place…a place that had to be evacuated two months ago and where fire was within two blocks of their home.
While I’ve been writing this, I notice that the Mulch Fire has sprung up in the southern part of Escondido near where Kim’s brother Jeff and his wife Lisa live. It’s a small fire so far and it’s the middle of the night, so I think I will not call and wake them over it, but I will say this, these are trying times in the great state of California. Our world is on fire in more ways than we could have ever expected. Every direction and every area is on tenterhooks as we work our way through the world that we ourselves as humans have wrought. At this point, all any of us can do is stay vigilant and on fire watch and keep the faith that this too shall eventually pass. Hello, Faraj?