At it again - the never ending brush pile

I have a lot of trees, ergo, I have a lot of brush. Mother Nature likes to toss sticks into my yard. Every year, there is a tree or two that for one reason or another needs to be harvested. The aftermath of a tree being felled is brush. January and February are my favorite months to burn brush.

Why? Because of the weather, specifically snow. Burning when there is snow on the ground is pretty safe. Same goes for during a rainfall. 

Yesterday, I braved the cold and lit a small brush pile. I wasn't sure the fire was going to catch and get going, but it did. The flames had died down to mere embers, and I was ready to call it a day. I'd no sooner taken off my wet jeans when a gust of wind rocked the house, and then kept blowing. 

I did not like this. Would the wind reignite the embers in what was left of the brush pile?

I pulled on a pair of sweat pants and went back outside, hopped on the John Deere 1023, and scooped up a few snow piles leftover from a few days ago when I used the snow pusher attachment on the lane. I dropped the snow on what was left of the smoldering brush pile. And you know what happened then?

Yep. The wind stopped blowing.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, country lifestyle, rural living, John Deere 1023, snow, rain, burning brush, resources, wind, fire, work smart

 

Forty years ago today

On February 25, 1983, my mobile home burned to the ground. I lost everything except my two cars and a load of clothing that was in my mother's washing machine. I wasn't home. I'd gone to town with my parents that evening, and luckily, my dog was at my parent's house visiting with their dog. My two cats were not as fortunate. 

When someone chastises me for allowing my cat to have outdoor access, I like to tell them how I had to pull those two little corpses out of the wreckage and bury them. yeah. Go ahead and judge me. 

I've come a long way in forty years. I built a house in the same location so I wouldn't need a new septic system and well, not to mention put in a new driveway, and subsequently paid off that mortgage. I traded a faithless husband for a caring life partner. I've been a published author for over the last twenty years. I retired from a lucrative position that provided me with a good income and now a good pension. 

 The low point of the last forty years was burying my father in November 1983. He didn't live to see my new house. My mother is now in care with Alzheimer's Disease. My partner, a good man, is now in a wheelchair from a degenerative condition. 

My life is a good one. Forty years ago I wasn't sure how I'd survive, but I made it through. I don't normally mark this day, but for whatever reason, when my calendar opened this morning, the fire is what immediately came to mind. 

I guess forty years is a milestone. It certainly isn't a millstone. I don't own one of those. 

The Lady of The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, millstone, milestone, fire, retirement, country lifestyle, rural living, adversity, a writer's life