Wacky February

For those of you that don't live in the midwest, February is the craziest of months.  We have the wierdest weather all month.  For instance, right now, it is 70 degrees outside.  Two days from now, we are expecting snow.  Wierd.  It is like Mother Nature can't make up her mind.  For today though, we will take it.  My kids are loving it.  When the boys got home today, they ran in the house, stormed the refrigerator and then left again.  My favorite part?  They took the little guys with them.  I just went to check on them and they are all on the driveway playing basketball/dodgeball.  Danny is sitting on the bench watching and loving being outdoors.  What a fabulous day.

That heaven sent neighbor that pointed out my great kids, well she continues to be a saint. The next day, I woke up from a short nap (which I totally deserved, might I add....) to this. A wonderful chocolate cake, a hilarious card which advised me to take comfort that someone else was having a worse day, and a beautifully wrapped FIRE ENGINE. Just what I needed, a great laugh. Cake, fun and good friends. You can't ask for a better way to wake up from a nap.

Best Husband Ever

I didn't get pictures of the kids or myself, but look at this amazing husband of mine, still smiling at me after working so hard out in the fire. We were all exhausted and very dirty. Unfortunately, he had already had a chance to wash his face before I got the camera. You can imaging what he looked like if this is washed :)

My WORST Day

I wish that I could do justice to these sad excuses for pictures. Let me just say that the black area totals 20 ACRES. The picture on the bottom left was taken just for proof that the fire started over 50 feet from our burn barrels. So let me explain.........

It is the first part of February in the mid-west, not normally expected to be 65 degrees. So, I decide to be the best wife/mom ever and do the farm chores before everyone gets home. Then, I think, we should all be able to take a fun family bike ride or something. Maybe Bodie can go enjoy a nice run. Who knows, the possibilities are endless. I go out and decide it is a beautiful day, why not burn some of the trash while I am at it. We have a million boxes in the basement just waiting for a day like this. So, like hundreds of times before, I start the burn barrels. I am always super careful, unlike some other people in our family, names will not be mentioned, Bodie...... Anyhow, it is going well, so I go to finish feeding the sheep and chickens. Their water is almost full, so I go to check to see if I should start winding up the hose. As I turn back around, to my complete horror, my yard is on fire. At this point, Ruth, my stalwart helper, says, "I better get Grandpa." (My parents are out staying with us..)
A gust of wind came up and grabbed something from the barrel and took it to the dry grass. Within moments I was surrounded and completely helpless. Dad was out there with me. Mom, Ruth and I were dragging hoses to nowhere imparticular and everywhere all at once. It quickly became apparent that there was no way we were going to control this. So, I call 911. Our VOLUNTEER fire department got there 15 minutes later. I am sure that I uttered some less than nice things in the mean time. Of course, I didn't think to get the camera out during all this. These pictures were taken 4 hours later when we finally had it all under control. I called Bodie right after the 911 call. He made it home in surprising time. I think he may have sped, but I will never ask.:) I do have to comment on my kids. Ruth is fearless. She stayed by me until I made her and Mom go in the house. My mom as asthma, not really what you want when fighting a fire. When my 3 oldest boys got off the bus, we were in the thick of it. The fire dept was there, we were all working like crazy. I was so proud of my boys. They ran as fast as they could from the bus and dropped their backpacks on the back door and ripped off their school shoes. With farm boots on and shovels in hand, they all joined in on the line. Stomping and shoveling dirt. I might add that this was the first day in weeks that had been over freezing, so the shoveling was a daunting job. The ground was frozen solid just a few inches down. But they stuck with it. Like I said, we worked for 4 hours. My neighbor is the one who pointed out my boys. She just reminded me that "it should do my heart good to see my boys out working along side their Daddy." It did. I was just sad that I was the one who had caused all the work.
We were very blessed that day. The wind stayed blowing the right direction, away from all the animals and everyones houses. Bodie had to use the chain saw and cut some dead tree trunks down that were on fire, I think that was kinda fun. Although, at the time I was really worried. We all came in late that evening to strip out of very smokey clothes and eat some quick dinner. Never once did anyone really give me a hard time. I was quite impressed. We definitely counted our blessings together as a family. Although, fighting a field fire is not my kind of fun, it made me realize that all the reasons that we moved out here to the "country" are still in tact. Our family works hard together. We even had fun doing it, once the fire was under control, and our kids are learning the value of HARD STINKIN' WORK.


I should also add, that is absolutely the last time for a long time that I will attempt to do the burn pile. I definitely have had my share for a while. What a difference a day makes........