Exploring the desert and what it takes for plants, animals, and people to survive (with a touch of humor).
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Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Burning on the Ranch
Some of the meadows near our house have become overgrown with rose bushes and willows, so lately Grandpa has been out trying to restore the meadows. He's been using various tools, like a grader and a tractor pulling a scraper, but by far his favorite method is to burn the bushes.
First he makes big piles with the giant loader. Then he gets out the gas can, spreads the gas liberally, and lights the pile on fire. Since we've had recent storms, the ground is fairly moist, so this is a good time to burn and not catch everything else on fire.
Desert Boy and I maintain a safe distance to watch the lighting, and make sure we stand upwind. I've started running again, but I'm not all that fast, especially if I have to tuck an almost-two-year-old under my arm!
Everything goes well, and Grandpa seems to be just as enthralled with the flames as we are. We didn't come prepared with our marshmallow sticks, though.
The smell of the smoke makes me think of campfires. Some of the piles burn for a few days, leaving a lingering scent in the air. The smell makes me want to go camping and eat food cooked over the fire and look up at the night sky with the thousands of twinkling stars. A good fire can do that, transport you to a totally different place.
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Some of the meadows near our house have become overgrown with rose bushes and willows, so lately Grandpa has been out trying to restore the meadows. He's been using various tools, like a grader and a tractor pulling a scraper, but by far his favorite method is to burn the bushes.
First he makes big piles with the giant loader. Then he gets out the gas can, spreads the gas liberally, and lights the pile on fire. Since we've had recent storms, the ground is fairly moist, so this is a good time to burn and not catch everything else on fire.
Desert Boy and I maintain a safe distance to watch the lighting, and make sure we stand upwind. I've started running again, but I'm not all that fast, especially if I have to tuck an almost-two-year-old under my arm!
Everything goes well, and Grandpa seems to be just as enthralled with the flames as we are. We didn't come prepared with our marshmallow sticks, though.
The smell of the smoke makes me think of campfires. Some of the piles burn for a few days, leaving a lingering scent in the air. The smell makes me want to go camping and eat food cooked over the fire and look up at the night sky with the thousands of twinkling stars. A good fire can do that, transport you to a totally different place.
Boys of all ages sure do love their fires! We've been burning brush lately too.
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