Re: OT-chat:Wild fire

From: "ruth" <ruth@sonetcom.com>

Now that I have had a little time to calm down, I wanted to share my
experience with my iris friends. Oklahoma has been very dry this summer (we
have not had rain here in my area since June 10.) and the state govenor has
put the whole state under a BURN BAN. This means no outside burning -
barbecue grilling - anything. 

I went to Wichita Falls, Texas to pick up the TALL TALK newsletter Thursday
afternoon. Usually when I go there, I have a whole list of errands to do.
But that day I decided to get right back home & get the labels on the
newsletter to mail.

When I drove up, I could see smoke  NW of our place. I called several
neighbors - some live a half mile or a mile from us. No response. So I
decided to drive down that road & take a look. A half a mile from our house
I could see the blaze had already jumped the fence on 80 acres of our grass
pasture. I ran back & called the fire department - we are 3 miles from
town. They immediately sent six water trucks plus another two from a
smaller town. The fire marshall was concerned the oil storage tanks would
catch fire & really cause a distaster. We also had 32 head of cattle on
that place. Running to herd them across the road, I could sure tell what
bad shape I am in.

Family & neighbors came & with many garden hoses going, we wet down around
our house although most area is a plowed field right around our house.
Anyway we lost the pasture across the road but no one was hurt, the cattle
were rescued and life on this hot prairie goes on. At 6:30 p.m. when I
dragged into the house, the outside thermometer read 100 degrees. Yesterday
it climbed to 107 degrees with no rain in the forecast.

So I join Steven & Sharlyn Rocha as fire victims. It is a no fun
experience. But it is a reality check. (By the way, I will be using Walter
Moores potting method for my new irises. There's just no way to get a
shovel in the ground.)

Ruth B. Simmons - Oklahoma - Zone 7
AIS Region 22 Editor
TALL TALK Helper
HIPS Publication Director
<ruth@sonetcom.com>


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