March is here and the 'in like a lion out like a lamb' thing is far overrated. This last two weeks March came in with a flash and went KBAM so far no one has been hurt... but the opportunity is still there.
First the weather has been so nice to us. The 'snow' we had this year was nothing compared to last year. I did wheelbarrow a couple of loads off the yard but they were mostly from a couple of snowdrifts in an attempt to eliminate yard moisture and get working earlier.
Yard cleanup 2012 The beginning.
This year I started with raking and more raking, the garbage pile grew to mountainous proportions. I began to shovel more gravel into the driveway an parking pad. Hopefully this year I can put the second layer on that I wanted to do last year. I was able to straighten a line or two on the parking pad and give it a more defined look. I will post a picture after it is finished Hopefully next time.
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| Mt. Trashmore |
Then I did a little yard burn. Supposed to be the first of a series of burns, It got a little out of hand. I started with a burn down the north road in the ditch in the East side of the property. Make a fire break there. Wind was a gentle breeze from the West, so burning back toward the house was minimal and easily contained.
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| The starting burn down the ditch. |
In a about an hour I reached the northern most point where I wanted it to burn to. I started to do a second fire break along the north side of the treeline where I needed it to stop at. Winds were still out of the South west and very mild enough to move the smoke and not much else.
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| The ditch now burnt, on to the trees. |
While the firebreak was burning I had allowed a burn to move into the brush that I wanted to burn out from the east side along the ditch to continue working west. I went to the south end of the stand of brush and started a couple of small burns. I now had the area I wanted to burn with a fire on all three sides.
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| Starting to burn the brush from the south looking north. |
The Northern edge was giving me grief as it kept attempting to relight after I snuffed sections to make the fire break. I extinguished everything that was making life difficult for me in that area and checked the south west side of the burn. It merged into one burn exactly how I wanted it to and was progressing perfectly to the termination point. The northern fire break was still giving me some grief, and the fire was reaching the western edge of where I wanted it to stop. At that point was some of last years grass clippings that I had not raked up yet and I figured to let it just burn them and I would stop it there.
Then I had another flash on the northern edge. It got a little away on me. I found myself putting out one spot moving to another then rushing back to the first to out it out again. It circled back into the ditch again and started burning past the fire break I had made. This was bad because now I was in more then brush I was getting into the forest to the north of the house. Past that is swamps pasture and farms. One good flair up and I would be burning into Ashern before I knew it. It was then that the wind changed.
The fire that was up to now moving at about 3 inches a minute against the wind now had wind feeding it. I looked and it was burning into a cleared out section of the yard, I was not worried. I fought a series of small fires and looked it was now burning by the shed the vans and heading to the west side of the property as fast as it could. I was getting overwhelmed with smoke and fireballs would flash up with a crackle everytime it found a new source of fuel. I stopped the progress north ran inside and sent out the cry for help!
12:10 2 E mails to people who should be sitting for lunch and I know have the computer on, and a blast on facebook and a quick chat with a friend in Stienbach. Because of him 911 was called and I ran outside to continue the fight.
12:50 I was winning. The wind had changed back to what it was. I had all the outbound spread stopped or under control. I now had a fire burning in the garbage pile that the flames were as high as the popular trees. A fire in the burned out pickup out back a fire around the vans another on a pile of rotten lumber by the sheds and several smaller ones burning on the assorted piles of trash buried in the grass throughout the yard. I take a moment to contact all who had called for help and tell them thanks but please call in and tell them do not come now it is out.
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| After it was done you can see where the burn was working. |
1:25 Ashern fire department goes roaring down the road. I am working a garden hose and 2 five gallon pails to put out hot spots and flair ups. They hit the breaks and pull into the yard. The dumb question of the day. "Are you the guy who called for the fire department?"
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| the now freshly scorched back yard |
I looked at him as if to say "No, I am having a weenie roast. All the scorched grass and smoldering piles of stuff in the yard was just because of he heartburn!" But I kept it sane and said," Yea an hour and a half ago! You are a bit late, I got it now, thanks."
I guess they figured they needed a bit of a stretch so they helped me water down the pile of garbage burning in the burned out pickup truck. The second truck came and started attacking the garbage dump with a vengeance. I am watching this and wondering why not help me fight the fire burning next to the shed? Or the ones by the vans that I was working on? Or go check the forest and make sure there are no more hot spots that could burn the whole flippen country side the garbage will not burn anything else now! I am most assuredly not worried about it damaging anything in there. I kept my self in check but the manager in me wanted to start barking orders.
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| two of the piles of junk that were smoldering when the heroes came rushing to my rescue |
After they were certain that the garbage was out they piled into the trucks and the leader asked me if I was aware that a fire ban was on. I said no but I can see why they would want to suggest such a thing. He murmured something about it being posted yesterday, I was thinking then why not make it known to everyone. I know about the ones in southern Manitoba because they post it on the facebook page. We had a light rain two days before I was thinking that should allow me to burn with out much problem.
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| burned out old pickup full of garbage was still burning when they arrived. Instead of putting out the fire burning next to something important they went to put out this first? |
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| Mt Trashmore after the fire department put it out |
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| behind the sheds, the stuff I was trying to keep from burning when the heroes came to save the garbage piles |
On the plus side I am sure I will now be getting a bill from the good ol fire department for their efforts. I am glad it was not life threatening cause I would have been a very un alive blogger today if I was waiting for rescue from them. Oh and one more big Kudos to MTS for being so nice as to screw me over and then cut my phone off, it makes calling 911 so much easier!
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| Thanks again to the heroes from Ashern who fought so valiantly to make this mess of the garbage burning here |
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| out behind the vans |
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| and from the other side |
Other hot stuff!
Since my last post my boss has been attempting to make sure I am without work. Problem is the boys in the garage, the other drivers and even the parents and kids out here want or need me driving. I get more 'thank yous' and compliments from them than my boss has complaints to use against me. So needless to say I am still getting some work. Not a full route or all the time but I am busy and able to cover my butt, if ever so slightly.
The kids are having spring break starting today and last week has been a week of weird things that they do in school. The little ones went to school with or in PJs and carrying teddy bears.
Kyle's class did a crossdresser day. He sent me the picture of him in drag. I had a chuckle but I could have made him look so much like a woman that even his mom would not have recognized him. Unfortunately I have been sending and packing Marianne's cosmetics and whatnot so even if he had asked I could not have had all the stuff I needed. But the next time he feels the need I am sure I can help him get it a little better than his own attempt.
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| Meet Kyleenia the drag princess extraordinaire poor kid I am going to tease him without mercy for so long now! |
Last thoughts
Spring is here, Other than some smoking hot times in the yard things are quite normal. I sat and watched the baby spiders string out the first strands on the wind the other day. It was interesting seeing all the little sucker trees each covered with hundreds of tiny spider web strands blowing in the breeze. The sunlight was bouncing off them and making little ribbions of light. If I could have gotten a clean picture of it I would have posted it. but all the camera shows is the trees Unless I blow it up to super sized amounts, but then you loose the effect of thousands of the little strands all dancing in the breeze.
I also have geese, killdeer, crows and the cranes all making a return to the area. Unfortunately it also means more bugs. I am hoping that this rain we are having today allows me to do another couple of controlled burns, but this time I will get a second person to help out just in case.
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| Baby hope was fixated on something in the yard she did not even care that I was taking the picture. It is a crow in the yard. |
Till next time Cheers C[_]
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