Scary Moments

On Friday afternoon we had a grass fire across the road from our house. I discovered it around 2:30 when I went out to spray the hogs. As I walked out the back door I smelled smoke and as I rounded the corner of the house I saw smoke coming across the road. And the wind was blowing at a pretty good speed. I ran back in to call the sheriff's office. Then I ran to change out of flip flops into socks and rubber boots. Then I thought to call DH to come home and help. By the time I got back outside you could see the flames. When DH got here (probably only 5 to 10 minutes) the flames were to the road and as high as the power lines. The firefighters arrived very quickly. The wind was out of the southeast so the neighbors to the west of us were in the most danger. DH and I both got water hoses going -- he down at the barn and me at the house because the flames were also traveling up the hill.  We were basically wetting down our side and DH was spraying in the air to keep any embers from catching our side on fire. We were praying and spraying! I was concerned for our neighbors.

We have two pine trees on either side of our front gate and as you know pine trees catch fire very quickly.  So that's where I was directing the water. The firefighters got a handle on it really quickly. Our neighbors homes were spared one lost a tree next to the road and part of their lawn burned the other neighbor has really high hedges in front of their house that burned. 

On Saturday afternoon the fire rekindled where it had begun--in the middle of the field across the road. The fire is unexplained. I saw  Mr. & Mrs. Davis (the ones who lost the hedges) walking up the hill looking at the damage. I met them on the road and visited. She had seen a small pickup truck drive out shortly before the fire started. There isn't anything in that field--no house --no crops  --no reason for a pickup to be out there. We suspect meth activity. Either producing or dumping the products used to make it. I also found out that the Lara family was gone at the time of the fire. I had been gone running errands and probably been home about an hour when the fire started. Both neighbors lost telephone service-- the boxes on the side of the road burned. Our box is located up the hill and around the corner -- so we still have service.

It is so very dry here. The grasses are all brown except where it has been irrigated. It looks like winter. I can never remember it being this dry in the almost 23 years we have  lived in this area. I am very grateful for the fast response of the firefighters both Friday and Saturday. Our neighbors homes could have burned and even ours if the fire had not been contained as quickly as it was. Thanks be to God for our protection.

Needless to say my plans for Friday afternoon were changed! I had planned to do some house cleaning. Nope, didn't happen. I was zapped after the excitement. Instead I began to applique the Dresden Plates on the background squares. It's been too hot to do much of anything so I sat and sewed all weekend except when we went to Wal-Mart, Lowe's, and Tractor Supply.  I am making great progress on the Dresden Plates. I only have four or five left to do out of fourteen. That is IF I don't decide to make more to enlarge the quilt. Hmmm. Gotta think about it.

So today I will do some cleaning and some quilting on the machine.

Have a blessed day and may God's protection be on you.