Fire and Gratitude

Hello dear readers, nice to have you drop by!

Please excuse my absence last week. Nothing I tried to write came out right, and it all sounded angry and frustrated.

In my defense, I was having a pretty bad pain flair and just did not have time or patience for my own shenanigans.

Here’s the latest! It’s still fricken hot. The sheep are fine and still naughty. I lost all my peas, beans, and cukes in the garden due to hail, heat, and grasshoppers. We need more rain. I turned the heel on the sock. Today is Thor’s 8th gotcha day. I fired up the sourdough starter and made bread. We need more rain.

On to the big event of the past week.

Last Saturday, I was sitting in my big chair, knitting on the sock, and watching something stupid on TV when I looked out the window to see a huge dark grey smoke column blow by over the roof of our shop. I yelled for the boy child who was taking a nap to come look at this and let’s see what the heck is going on.

He took the truck to go up the road, and I called my across the street neighbor who is on the county fire district. He was out of town and did now know about any fire close to us but did inform me that a train had been throwing off sparks and setting off fires for at least 30 miles.

Boy child came back and said it was up at the bridge over the train tracks, and that it looked like at least one house was on fire, and that it was ugly. This is just about a mile and a half from our house.

I texted that info to my neighbor. I also told him that the wind was currently blowing away from us, which was a good thing. And that there were evacuations going on, which is a bad thing.

So, boy child and I started gathering up paperwork, computer, pictures, clothes, Rob’s ashes, and his sourdough starter. All that was piled right by the door to go. We also got the truck hooked up to the stock trailer so we could load the sheep and dogs up and get out.

The phone calls and text messages started coming in. Codie was driving and saw the smoke wanted us to know there was a fire. Sherry L offered help to get out, but by that point in time, the road was closed and there was no way she was getting here. Carrie called to see if we needed anything, but again, no way to get here or there. Susan B called, offered truck and trailer, and a place to keep the sheep and dogs for the duration. She remained on standby to get here to help us load sheepies since we are both on the same side of the fire.

I can’t begin to tell you how much those offers of help mean to me. I am so grateful for my friends and their willingness to brave a fire to help me. Thank you to my ladies!!! You all ROCK!

So, we watched and waited to see if someone was going to tell us to get out. Kept tabs on FB for info and updates. Watched the SEAT planes dropping retardant, and the helicopter doing water drops. The smoke went from grey to white to black and back to grey. And the wind kept blowing away from us.

It’s surreal to walk around my house and try to figure out what else I can fit in the truck and still leave room for the house wolves who do take up a considerable amount of space on their own. I would pick something up and hold it, trying to decide if this was a need to go or not. Most everything was a not.

After several hours we got word that they were in the mop up stage and that evacuations had been canceled. They did remine on the fire overnight and almost all of Monday, getting any hot spots taken care of. It was considered contained.

Here is a run down from the fire protection district of what went on.

Over the weekend, Weston County, Crook County, Wyoming State Forestry Division, Black Hills National Forest, Thunder Basin National Grassland, and US Wildland Fire Service (BLM), resources responded to multiple railroad fires between Moorcroft and the Upton area. The fires ranged in size from 1/10th of an acre to 40.33 acres. The most significant fire, the Ponderosa Fire, was located near mile marker 222 on US Hwy 16 just east of Upton. The Ponderosa Fire prompted evacuation orders for the immediate area and ended up at 26.6 acres, burned on both sides of Hwy 16 and resulted in the loss of one primary residential structure, 3 sheds, 1 open-faced shed, 2 well houses, 1 flatbed pickup, 1 tractor and miscellaneous other items in the area. A total of 36 engines, 3 UTVs, 5 tenders, 1 cascade trailer, 3 SEATs, 1 Type 2 helicopter, 1 air attack, along with 4 dozers, 5 blades, 2 loaders, 1 trackhoe and 1 teleskid (provided by Weston County Fire, Iron Creek Services, Perino Blade Service, D&W Livestock, Hart, American Track and WYO Services) responded to these fires. Fire suppression and mop-up activities will continue through this week.

I am grateful to all the men and women who put their lives on the line to fight this fire. Some of them I know from town and they will get my in person thanks as soon as I run into them. Most of them will never know how grateful I am for their skills, training and perseverance to protect people and property they don’t know. Though they will never see this, I thank them!

If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to evacuate, here are a few things you will need to take with you. Most of these are things you can have ready ahead of time, packed in a bag that you just need to grab.

Immediate Essentials (60-Second Grab)

• Keys, wallet, phone, and chargers

• Prescription medications and eyeglasses

• Cash in small bills and credit cards

• Sturdy shoes and a flashlight

Survival Supplies (72-Hour Go-Bag)

• Water (one gallon per person per day) and non-perishable food

• First-aid kit and sanitation items

• Change of clothes and extra socks/underwear

• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio

• Pet supplies (food, water, carrier, and leash)

Important Records

• Photo ID and driver’s license

• Passports, birth certificates, and social security cards

• Insurance policies and bank documents

This fire season is a bad one for my area, along with so many others in our country. There are still many big out of control fires burning not far from me. Please be ready for you and your family!

Blessed be!

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Your paid membership or donation to the farm goes to support the sheep here. Every dollar goes back into the animals in some way. Either thru hay purchase, shearing, the occasional vet bill, or the extras they need such as floating tank heaters, coats, minerals, or salt blocks. This year, hay is going to be a big expense for us. You make a big difference for the sheep!

I am grateful for your financial support to help keep the farm going. Thank you for your blessing!