We Need the Rain

As much as I love to see the sun shining and find that gray, rainy weather can bring me down, I have to admit, I'm glad we're getting some rain. It's been pouring, and we even got some snow, which puts a damper on my plans to do work outside, and there's plenty that needs to be done. But, conditions are pretty dry out there, and this hit me like a ton of bricks just the other day.

I almost set the woods on fire. It was scary, even though it wasn't a desperate situation, and a few fortunate events prevented a disaster. As I mentioned, it's dry as heck out there, not to mention windy, and there is plenty of dry stuff lying around, including leaves and grass. I was unloading the ash can from the wood stove, and forgot to consider the fact that the snow puts out any smoldering coals.

The ash was not glowing, and when I dumped it in the woods, all seemed fine. I went inside and prepared to pick up A at rehearsal, when I asked N if he smelled something burning. He said he did. I looked in the backyard and saw smoke. Running over, I could see the ash smoldering in the dry grass, fed by the wind. I immediately panicked and ran over to get the hose, which was tangled up really badly. Letting a few profane invectives fly, I excused myself in the presence of my son, who was rolling his eyes at his father's indiscretion, and proceeded to untangle the mess. With N's help, we got it fully extended and it ended up being too short. With the wind blowing, it was pretty much useless.

I ran into the barn and got a bucket, and we proceeded to fill it and dump it on the ash. Mind you, the situation wasn't bad, but it was enough to scare me. If we hadn't noticed it and instead drove away to get A, it could have built up to something even worse, especially with the wind.

Now I know two things. One, I'm going to store the ash for at least a couple of days in a larger metal trash can before dumping it. Two, I need a longer hose.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Josep Altarriba and Mogens Lauridsen, and for the pics.