Cross Stitch

Got the burn pile at the Iris Barn burned. That included cleaning up a lot of branches from a tree that went down across the road a year plus ago.  I drug them up the steep bank and then used the Gator to haul them around to the burn pile.  The whole pile consisted of oak that had pretty well dried out over the last 2 years. It burned very, very hot and slow.  I'm spoiled by burning smaller, twiggier branches that burn fast.  
Today I burned tree branches up from the Cow Corrals.  Got about 3/4 of the pile done before I had to stop. Again it was very dry oak, but a lot of bigger chunks and branches.  What is left is mostly smaller. 
This afternoon I went up with Glenn and measured for a bridge.  We are going to install a bridge at "Duck Lake" (really a vernal pond)  The outflow of the pond appears to have been modified by human hands.  The bridge won't really do much, but it makes a great obstacle.  Maybe later in the year I'll put one up by Split Rock as well. That would be a functional bridge over a muddy ditch that drains a swampy meadow.  The first one is about 17' long, the second about 18' long.  As a side benefit I am learning exactly how to do this safely with an experienced bridge builder. YAY!
Saw Lisa F today, and gave her a bunch of garden starts.  She is going to judge for me again, which is wonderful.

This morning around 8, M walked out of the door, looked over at firefly who was happily chewing on her morning pasture. Just beyond her he saw a column of smoke. It was chucking down rain,  clouds and mist were hanging low, and it was way too early to be a permitted burn pile. I called 911 and asked for the fire dispatch. A little later a pickup from the fire department showed up here. The very nice man said "where did you see smoke?"  We walked about 25 feet and I pointed down the hill. Told him that there were two houses down there. He said that they couldn't see the smoke at all from the county road, it apparently just blended into the mist.  I said that the neighbor's place had just changed hands and I had no idea who the new owners were.
This evening, Jen, another neighbor called and asked what burned. I walked down to the property line, a bit less than 1/4 mile down the hill.  There are three residences on a narrow, 11 acre strip. The strip leads west from my property line to the county road.  Near the road is an old double wide trailer that I lived in in the early 1980's.  Near my property line is a tiny, simple house, just to the west of the little house is a slightly bigger and much nicer house.  Our wonderful old neighbor Rudy used to live in the tiny house.  That house is now completely gone, burned to the foundation. 
After some communication with the surrounding neighbors, none of whom knew who the new owners are, I called Rudy.  Rudy called the new people, one of whom, Juan, called me. Whew. They seem nice and now we can all communicate. I've already sent off Cody's info to them. If there is an issue with the cows they can call Cody directly. 
Nothing like an emergency to get the whole neighborhood talking to each other.