And So It Begins .....

 Everyone knows that the heat of summer brings on the fire season.  As I sit on the patio this morning cooling off in the lovely 64 degrees Mother Nature has provided, I'm breathing in the results of the ineptness of the California government.  

For many many years now ... most of my life in fact ... they have refused to allow management of the forests that would help mitigate this type of disaster that happens every single year.  FIRE.  In the old days, we ran cattle in the Sierra Nevada mountains.  Every year when the cattle were gathered up, my dad would set back-fires to burn up all the fallen limbs and dead trees.  It would burn itself out quickly because there wasn't much to burn.

Then the Sierra Club came along and decided that was such a bad idea ... burning up the trash in the forest ... and they lobbied to stop not only the fire prevention work we were doing, but the cattle leases also.  That meant for all those years, the timber and scrub brush piled up, just waiting for a match or lightning to set it off.  Here's the result of the latest incidence, the Oak Fire.  A huge fire just 30 miles from me in Mariposa.

It happens multiple times every year.  Oh yes, they have finally figured out they've been wrong all these many years, but now it's too late.  To try and convince people they are doing something about it, they began small control burns in the Yosemite National Park Valley.  That's cool ... there's nothing to burn in the valley.  It's everywhere else they should be working on.  This is from a friends front porch.

These two pictures came from the internet.  Hundreds of houses are right in the path and many have already burned.  The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias is right in the path of destruction also.

Those are the largest living trees on earth, many over 3,000 years old ... and California does nothing for fire protection.  Yes these trees can take some fires in stride, but most likely, not this one.  Finally, at this late date, they are sending multiple troops in to help keep them from turning to ash.

Make no mistake ... your house will not survive.  The plan is and always has been, just let it burn.  They are trying to save the small towns, and so far Mariposa is safe ... sort of.   It's sad that this goes on year after year.  The Sierra Club, who professes to be all about the forest and the critters, has caused more devastation than you can imagine, due to their crazy ideas about how to manage forests.

Of course they will blame it on every human on the planet ... global warming and all that.  Hey, there's been global warming for a million years as the earth rotates around the sun.  Surely you can't think it will remain on the perfect axis forever and ever.  Things are always going to change, regardless of what you do.  It's just how things are.   Too bad California just doesn't have any common sense.

Sometimes I don't either.  Common sense would have told me NOT to make this quilt.  Here I thought the hard part was behind me, but NOOOOOOO.  I now have to make the borders for each and every square out of 20 pieces sewn to look like a ribbon ... hence the name of the quilt, A Ribbon Runs Through It.  Big sigh!!!

Here's another one.  Common sense would have said to check the label on the back.  I've tried another brand of these before and they were quite tasty.  THESE about choked me on the first bite.  OH MY AUNT MAE!!!  I've never eaten anything so salty in my life!!  Something like 330 mg of sodium.  There's no way I will ever choke them down.  What a waste.  Note to self ... read the label next time!!!

Mr. Cooper is at my feet, chomping at the bit to head out for his morning walk.  Hopefully the smoke won't be too bad.  Then there will be a cooking frenzy as I do everything I possibly can before 4:00 when I shut off and unplug EVERYTHING ... except the TV of course!!  Enjoy your Sunday!!