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The Fire
It started as a simple request. it ended in a conflagration
It all started when my lovely wife asked me: "what are you going to do about those trees?"
This is just the beginning
She said, "Hey. What are you going to do about those trees?"
I feigned incoherence. She persisted.
"The trees that were down in the storm. Are you going to cut them up or what?"
Sure. I can go outside. I can do a few cuts. Get the chainsaw out, do a few cuts. Be back in time for the noon news.
I was out for four hours. The saw, as it was, refused to cooperate. In the trenches, I had to learn to set the chain, oil the chain, find the tools, find the fuel, find the chain oil, curse the gods, and dump water on my head. Each of these lessons was hard to learn.
When I was done, my good friend Mark sent me an email. He and his wife were named backyard gardeners of the year by Fairfax County. They were the only ones who were not Master Gardeners.
So now the stakes were up.
I finished the tree clipping, Then she asked about the burning.
"What are you going to do with all of that?"
Of course, it must be burned. We started with a few limbs, but soon the pile was large. Very large.
Now it is 10 o'clock and I'm up watching the fire. The fire is huge! Things start so simple. Sometimes they end up not so simple any more. I still don't think there is any award in here.
The yard is looking awesome sweetie! I am sure there is an award in there somewhere...most crabgrass...most trees...most black widow spiders:)
It's in the 90's and humid...and you build a FIRE? How primal. Hope it keeps the escaped monkeys away. They mostly come at night. Mostly.
Do you think I wanted the fire! Geesh. All I wanted to do was cut a couple of logs in the yard and drag them off into the woods. One thing led to another, and before I knew it there was wood stacked up all over the place. Then somebody (who will go nameless but we'll just call her Melissa) said something like "what are you going to do with all of that brush? Now I can't mow."
So it was just a little brush. Should take about an hour to burn. Just a bunch of leaves.
It went on for over eight hours.
To top that off, now the kids are so excited about campfires they want to build another one this Friday night.
I'm still sore from LAST Friday night. Oy Vey! I need a gardener. But you are right -- so far, no monkeys around here. We've seen a couple of foxes lately in the yard, but no monkeys. Perhaps the monkeys keep the foxes away?