Dust and Smoke

Kyiv is murky and faded as I look outside today. The sun is shining but it’s filtered, through dust and smoke. It’s not safe to be out, not that many of us would be anyway with the restrictions that COVID has placed on us. However, yesterday there were powerful winds that whipped dirt, sand, and other debris throughout the city. People who were out in it said it was like “being in a sandstorm” and that even though they wore a mask they came home with “grit in their mouths.” Before that even had a chance to settle, overnight the smoke from the fires burning around Chernobyl blew into the capitol. The windows aren’t tight enough to keep the acrid odor from leaking in around the edges. The dust got in too. Yesterday I had a window open and wasn’t paying attention to what was happening outside of it. When I realized, it was too late. The sill, the floor, and furniture had accumulated a layer of grey grime.

We needed to go to the store and the pharmacy today. We won’t be. It isn’t really safe for either of us. The triple threat of COVID, dust hanging in the air, and now the atmosphere inundated with smoke mean we will stay inside, windows closed and air purifier running twenty-four hours a day. I haven’t been going out at all in order to protect my immune system. I’m not afraid. While the restrictions are in place though, it doesn’t bother me to take a few extra precautions. As soon as they removed, I will be out that…