"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." ~George Bernard Shaw

"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time." ~Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn


Monday, January 28, 2013

Our First Burn Pile

Now that we live in the mountains it isn't as easy
to recycle what we used to do at the curbside.
We have a weekly garbage pickup, but anything else 
you either take to the dump, haul it to a recycler or burn it.
I have found where I can recycle cardboard, newspaper, tins cans
other metals, glass and get my deposit back
on all those bottles and pop cans. 
But when it comes to all the fire hazard Manzanita bushes
we have removed and all the trimmed tree branches there is
only one solution: the burn pile. We have about 15 burn piles.
Yesterday we fired up one. It took from 10am til 5pm.
One down 14 to go!


These piles have been sitting here since last June.
We didn't dare burn until there was snow on the ground.


It took awhile to get it really burning....
Russell and I felt like two kids playing with fire. 

This morning it is just barely smoldering...
Some of the Manzanita had huge root balls. 
The next burn pile is in the background awaiting it's fate.
Once we are all done burning we can spread all the ashes
to help enrich the soil. That's a plus!!    

5 comments:

  1. We used to do this in when I was little and lived in the country.

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  2. I bet the smell burning wood wafting over the snow was wonderful.

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  3. Stephen- It did small good- but I learned NOT to wear nice clothing while burning because sparks put holes in your clothes...so I've dragged out the old icky painting clothes! Who cares if they have more holes!

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  4. My #2 Son would love to come play with fire along with you.

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  5. I live in an area that has banned all burning but I miss the days when I was a kid and people could burn piles of leaves and such.

    Stephen is right...it is quite nostalgic remembering the smell of a burn pile.

    ReplyDelete

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