The Lady's Not for Burning
Today was a burn day and those are likely to be few and far between in the next few months as the heat of approaching summer flirts with the threat of wildfire. So we burned. We spent several hours burning all the small branches from the tree that went into the shop. I can’t believe how hard it is to just feed branches into a flame while trying not to set the rest of the hill on fire. Still, we were successful and the branches are all reduced to a 5-foot diameter, 5-inch deep circle of ash and charcoal.
Now all we need to do is everything else. 100 feet of bare earth all around the buildings, no trees within 30 feet of the buildings, and 20 feet of bare earth on either side of all roads. Last fire season was very scary because of the number of fires — several were set by an arsonist. I heard that he was arrested. Hopefully, no one has the desire to cause such unforgivable damage this year.
The seedlings are still growing but I’ve seen no new little friends. The herbs that I got from the college are all reasonably happy and the lemon grass is thriving. The wildflowers are still providing wonderful color. The blue, yellow, purple, red, and white against the green (and now yellowing) grass is still a thrill. It has been a great year.