Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Out of Control!

So, about setting our yard on fire.....

The two snows we had this winter brought down many an old limb. Our burn pile on the back of the property was impressive, but we had managed to pick up and burn most of the snow damage.



However there is a cluster of big pine trees way up at the front corner of the property and the snow accumulation on their needles broke off several huge limbs, creating a giant pile of brush. The thought of hauling that many limbs all the way to the burn pile was discouraging, so we had ignored that final job for as long as possible.   Then on a Saturday morning we had the bright idea of burning the pile where it sat.  We wouldn't burn the whole pile at once, but would keep the fire small and add limbs as we went. It had been raining a lot and it wasn't windy, so we thought it would be safe as long as James was right there watching.

I was up the hill beating back and poisoning some out-of-control mock orange, when I heard James yell, "Shelli, I need your help!"  Now I have rarely heard panic in my husband's voice, but I knew immediately that something was really wrong, and when I climbed out of that fence row, there were flames everywhere!!!!!

James already had the hose on, but it was painfully obvious that we needed more reach, so I ran up to the house for more hoses and while there grabbed Fred and Ethel's sleep mats to beat out the flames. By the time I got back down the hill, neighbors had come running to help. The fire was racing across the field fueled by the winter-dead grass, moving out in an ever-growing circle!

Everyone had instinctively taken up an evenly spaced position around the circle beating out the fire
with dog mats and pine boughs, while James was hosing down the most crucial front of the flames - those quickly approaching the woods where dried brown leaves were waiting to feed a fire that would have burned up heavenly only knows how much of our property!

And then it was over...... Suddenly what had seemed out of control, was snuffed out, beaten back, and dead.

As we all stood around catching our breath, an older neighbor from across the street came over and said with a twinkle in her eye, "Ya'll meant to do that, right?!"  Then she said, "Don't worry, It will green up in a week. You'll never know it happened."


She was right! In a week the new grass was filling in and now you can't notice a thing. It really is as if it never happened, except that James and I prematurely aged at least ten years and will never, ever complain about hauling limbs back to the burn pile!!!!

Until tomorrow,
Shelli

Don't let your dreams go up in smoke - practice fire safety. 
~Author Unknown

Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgment. ~Rita Mae Brown

Wisdom begins at the end.
~Daniel Webster


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