Update on my British Columbia friend's forest fire situation:
Today the evacuation order came, and she, her grown son who works with her, and one of her interns decided to defy the order and stay at the farm. Other workers and her son's family left. It's the peak of harvest season, and with the continuing hot dry windy weather she has to dole out every precious drop of irrigation water she can to thirsty crops. She can run the well for 30 minutes, then lets it rest again and refill, then runs another 30 minutes...sometimes round the clock.
Tonight she called to say the hill on the other side of the railroad track that borders her vegetable fields is burning. THAT'S REALLY CLOSE! At times they've been able to feel the heat of the fire over and above the heat of the weather. They are standing watches tonight to look out for sparks on her parched land.
If they cross the barricade at the end of the road, they can't come back. Friends have arranged to meet them there with trucks, and pass boxes of produce over and do their best to get her orders out. The income is essential to her operation--and many veggies don't keep, and even so her small on-farm cold storage would soon be inadequate.
She has sent all her valuable papers, computer, etc. "outside" already, in case she would need to flee in a hurry, so she has no email contact with bank or customers (or friends). I'm really glad that we've been talking on the phone a lot more this summer, so that line of communication is already established.
Her great sense of humor is intact, so far. Someone asked her "What will you do with your pigs if the fire comes to your farm?" She replied, "Throw them some apples and toss in some barbeque sauce!"
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Pinwheel Farm, where I'm "going around in circles," is a constant source of amusement, amazement, learning, inspiration, and WORK. This blog is to share all that with my family and friends, since I can't possibly find the time to correspond with each of you personally.
About the SheepLady
My grandmother lived to 103; I'm barely over half that....
The first third of my life was spent wandering, in every way possible. Drifting is easy, but not always fun. In hindsight, I see that I was gathering a lot of "thought compost", some of which is great fertilizer and some is just, well, you know....
Eventually I stopped and planted the seeds of a small farm. Way more fun AND work than that silly virtual farm game.
Now I cultivate many things, including sheep, vegetables, the ability to laugh at my mistakes, appreciation of my friends and family, and sheer joy in God's creation.
As part of the harvest, I'll stop and pick a tasty treat now and then, and share it with you on this blog....
"Pinwheel Farm" is on facebook, too, with frequent messages from various members of the Community of Life.
The first third of my life was spent wandering, in every way possible. Drifting is easy, but not always fun. In hindsight, I see that I was gathering a lot of "thought compost", some of which is great fertilizer and some is just, well, you know....
Eventually I stopped and planted the seeds of a small farm. Way more fun AND work than that silly virtual farm game.
Now I cultivate many things, including sheep, vegetables, the ability to laugh at my mistakes, appreciation of my friends and family, and sheer joy in God's creation.
As part of the harvest, I'll stop and pick a tasty treat now and then, and share it with you on this blog....
"Pinwheel Farm" is on facebook, too, with frequent messages from various members of the Community of Life.
1 comment:
This is just terrible...My friend in near Chase is dealing with a fire in that community, too. This has been a terrible fire season.
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