Sun is Shinin'; Make Hay!

The sun has been shining.  As the landscape dries, so does the hay.  Mike is finishing up the 2019 hay crop today.  It has been a good year. 

Second cut hay is known for its green and vibrant color.  Mike says, "this is what cows eat in heaven," describing the protein-packed bales of animal food.  Thankfully, our ground has water very close to the surface and this three year old alfalfa (some of it is that old), has roots tapped down to that water source.  This is good because Farmer Mike has yet to figure out how to make the shiny new diesel pump work for the tinkle of water running through our ditch.  "Houston, we have a problem."

Looking for a Meal

In the end, we are all looking for our next meal.

Mike went back and forth across the field, raking hay.  Picking it up, turning it over, letting it dry out to prepare for baling.  The hawks circled above.  Three red tail hawks and at least three rough legged hawks.

I drive the New Holland with the baler and accumulator behind.  A mouse scurries out of the way.  Next round through the field going the other way, a rough legged has this mouse pinned on the ground, ripping it to pieces with its sharp curved beak.  I approach and it flies off, mouse in talons. 

We work the field of grass.  This is our first batch of grass hay and it looks good.  I jump out of the cab to check the bales forming up below the chute.  The hay is dry and slick, almost soft to the touch, compared to the rough alfalfa hay.  We will sell this hay for less than others in the area.  But it is our first crop.  And it is income.  Just looking for our next meal.

By this week's end, with good luck, the second cutting of alfalfa will be cut, baled, and stacked.  And the Farmer will tend to his machinery.  Cleaning and greasing, fixing what needs to be repaired.  Another year.  The harvest will be completed. 

Having stepped away from farming and now back in, I recall again how the weather and the seasons play such an important role in a farmer's life.  This long dry spell has been awesome for haying.  How nice to have this positive perspective as we, in fire, begin to think of fire restrictions, watching the grass cure, the energy release components rise, and the forecast predicts day after day of dry.  Sitting in my office, this weather is frightening.

I work, planning for fires.  Mike works, putting up hay.  The hawks soar above.  We all look for our next meal.

One More....

One more great picture from the Museum Fire.  I found this on the National Wildlife Museum's Facebook page. To find their page, search Facebook @WildlifeArtJH  There are some cool pictures. Right now, some sculptures done by Herb Albert; the below are not his, however.

Last week culminated in the big team effort by Hoback Station 3 in pulling off one of the best yet Annual BBQ picnics ever!  Nice crowd, but smaller than usual.  Many of our Hoback friends were attending a funeral that day.  Here are some pictures to document this event.  3000 pounds of pork racks of ribs were cooked in the smoker, a giant caldron of beans cooked to some of the finest beans ever, and some new coleslaw that hit the mark!  It was a good day - and we don't have to do it again for something like 360 days.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!

More pictures from Sunday's fire.  Nice double rainbow!  See if you can get this movie to play; it was taken less than 10 minutes after the lightning strike. Might be sideways, but you get the point.   Working on the mountain of paperwork now!

There was a Fire Here

My former boss, Rusty Palmer, now Fire Chief on Whidbey Island in Washington State, used to say, as he strolled up to a fire scene and people were barraging him on what happened - he would ponder there perstering inquiries, pause, and calmly reply, "There was a fire here."

I use this phrase now all the time!!  It started on Sunday afternoon, ignited by a lightning strike and it was a big deal.  Next to a high-traveled road, creating a visible smoke plume, throwing 20' flames up at times and threatening the treasured Wildlife Museum, and causing an evacuation of a high-value subdivision, this one got some attention.  Of course, I was on duty!  Our Emergency Operations Manager sent out the public notification, reaching everyone's phone within a local distance as evacuations were announced.  He noted that the five times he has sent these public notifications, I have been incident command each time.  Hmmm....

There are two articles in this week's Jackson Hole Newspaper.  Here is one on the Museum and how the folks reacted to the fire which was, literally, right out their back door.  You can read it by clicking on this link Museum Fire  I will try to get the other link as well.  It's a much different type of story.  Oh, here it is!!  I think the opening paragraph will make you laugh!  Making Jam!

There are some great photos from the fire.  I snapped this picture as I helped jump a dead pump on the wildland truck.  It was a short, but impressive fire storm that Firefighter Cranston and I weathered; wind gusting so strong it was difficult to open my truck door, the heat radiated hot on my unprotected face, ash and embers pummeling our eyes and face, smoke choking our airway.  We were safe, but we were close and it was impressive.

This was a good fire.  There was one minor injury, no structures loss.  The fire was kept to 80 acres.  Because of its visibility, the fire provides a great opportunity for the public to become more educated on wildland fire.  It shows them, a fire can happen pretty much anywhere around the valley and it can take off fast. 

It has also been a great opportunity for those of us who worked the fire to learn.  This fire was very collaborative and highlighted the solid interagency relationships we enjoy in this valley.  Working alongside Forest Service Andy Hall, he and I managed the fire in a collaborative effort that was seamless and effortless.  A strong relationship has emerged for our work together and I look forward to our next Unified Command experience.  There are details and accounting and a pile of work to do now, but the fire is contained, a rain is predicted tomorrow and we are all better for this event. 

There was a fire here.  And it was a good one! 

Oh Beautiful....

For spacious skies.

For amber waves of grain (barley around our place).

For purple mountains, majesty...……

And for all the flowers pushing upward in the Bee Gard'n.