Grass fires

There was another grassfire out to the west. There have been lots of them lately. For our readers who are not West Texans grassfires can be a serious problem when the winds are cranking. A few days ago some 250,000 acres burned in this part of the country. That hurt the ranchers in that it not only killed a bunch of cattle but took out their principle source of food. I don’t know how far away this fire is but the smoke looks like clouds. 1450 acres burned out in the same direction the smoke is coming from now. The news just came on and said this one covered seven and a half miles.

I worked hard all day but don’t seem to have gotten much done. Cherie helped me carry the sections of fence I cut. I tried doing it by myself but with the strong wind wasn’t able to. It just pushed me over. Things go much faster and easier when there are two of you.

The back of the house. You can see that the rye is a little spotty out here at the far end. It's doing much better closer to the house

She said that everyone missed me at church. Several asked if I had another “spell”. She explained that I had lots that needed doing. It is comforting to see that folks have taken the time to learn and understand what I go through. A nice change from what we’ve experienced in other quarters. It makes me feel good to be missed.

The cold front they talked about this morning just blew in. Came in with a vengeance. BAM, the winds here knocking and blowing everything not tied down. The weather guy just said visibility is down to a half mile because of the sand. I had intended to cut firewood today knowing this was headed our way. But like happens so many times with me it escaped my mind and was gone. Now I’m getting a coat on and heading out to cut some wood in the dark and blowing sand.

That was too much fun. I just took a bath and got cleaned up. Sand has matted in my ears a quarter of an inch thick. Not really that bad but sure seems like it. My teeth are gritty and eyes aren’t feeling too hot. I’m glad I got that oak lumber from the landfill as it is quick and easy to cut for the wood stove.

If we are lucky we will get some snow or at least some rain. Haven’t had any precipitation for a couple or three months now. That’s one of the reasons grass fires are such a problem.