@delightful, we've had drought conditions before, but this is the longest and the first that involved so much wind! But we're finally getting a nice blanketing of snow, so I guess the fire danger is low.

I tend to avoid volunteering for non-profit organizations for that very reason. They keep asking for more and it's so hard to extricate oneself from them.

I sang in the church choir for 10 years, two years longer than desired. At the end of the eighth year, I had planned to announce my "retirement," except that the choir director announced her retirement! The interim replacement was one of us guys -- a full time computer programmer. He had a good understanding of music, but he didn't have the time to do more than bridge the gap. As one of the strongest male voices (strongest in the sense that I can sight-sing) I felt I had to stay on while the church found another director. That took two years. So when the new season started and she took over, I just never showed up -- I was so done with it. I didn't even speak to anyone about it. There were a few others that did this, too. I never understood it until that moment.

It was fortunate that I didn't depend on that church for spiritual fulfillment -- fortunate, but sad, I guess. And now I'm involved wth a Buddhist group....