Burning Down the Farm... Again
Although we normally do our burning in late winter or very early spring, due to some other factors at play, I got to help in burning a few odd patches here and there on the farm. The tenants who rent it are going to seed some of these patches into alfalfa for hay which they will use to feed their cattle they raise elsewhere, during the winter months.
It was not without it's tribulations though for me. In order to safely burn it, a fire break needs to be disked around the perimeter so that fresh non-flammable earth is exposed. Normally this is done in the fall as was this case, but when we burn it in the spring, rains and snows have time to settle things down so one can walk on it without too much issue. Freshly turned when we burned it this time, it was horrible to walk over. I was staggering and reeling like a drunk after an all night bender except I have a container of flammable fuel that I'm spraying across a flaming tip that shoots fire into the grass right next to where I am walking. Falling or even lingering is not recommended should one not have a desire to end up crispy.
To make matters worse, at the end of the afternoon while burning the above patch, I suddenly began to feel very weak and lightheaded. Knowing this was not someplace I wanted to pass out, I snuffed out my torch and walked a few paces from the fire. The dizziness passed but I still felt a bit clouded. Fortunately the others finished up the rest and after standing around talking and monitoring the flames until the subsided a bit, I felt good enough to drive home. It was only there that I realized how thirsty I was and I drank non-stop the rest of the evening. I suspect that I just got a bit dehydrated as it was hard work starting the fire around the perimeters and walking over the plowed areas and yet the day was cool enough I had a heavy flannel shirt on. It is just a reminder that I need to stay on top of these things a bit better as I get older.
I would continue going down to the farm to help out repairing tile risers in the farm fields and to cut thorn sprouts too for the next two days and I made sure to stay hydrated and had no other issues. Below is a picture I took of someone helping us who happened to have brought a four wheeler and decided they had enough walking and was actually lighting the head fire from it. I thought it was a nice photograph.
I rather like both photos, Ed.
ReplyDeleteI took about a dozen in total and deleted all but I think four. Of the four I kept, these two were by far the better ones. That is the one huge advantage of a digital "camera" in your pocket. I can easily pare down the number of photos on the fly.
DeleteEd, I think the challenge of "looking after ourselves" as we get older is one we too often forget. I have the same sorts of issues, and now definitely have to plan for longer periods of time to "get ready" to "get ready".
ReplyDeleteI'm not as indestructible as I was when I was younger.
DeleteLove the two photos--very dramatic! My dad fought fires with fire breaks while in the US Forest Service. Hard work! I used to think that dehydration wasn't that big a deal. But it certainly is!
ReplyDeleteMy brother also does his share of firefighting for the Forest Service but they often use high tech toys like helicopters and machine guns that shoot flaming bullets, etc.
DeleteI hate to be "that guy", but I went through some heart issues years ago and the only real symptom I had was that I had some dizziness spells like you just described. I was reasonably active, ate relatively healthy, etc. so it didn't really concern me at the time, although I don't know what I would have been able to do differently or if I would have done anything about seeking medical advice at the time.
ReplyDeleteAgain, it's probably nothing, but it's worth keeping an eye on (if that makes sense). I saw plenty of healthy, active men in their fifties going through the same thing I was going through when I went through cardiac rehab.
That certainly has crossed my mind which is why I ran things through my personal physician for a second opinion.
DeleteBack when I was a kid, sugar cane fields in Pearl City were burned and the whole area was smoky with soot and smoke. We also used to be able to burn our trash in our yards. However, it is now illegal to do so - for safety's sake. I must admit that I do enjoy watching a fire while prepping our hibachi for cooking. Your project was HUGE! Maybe leave it for the tenants next time.
ReplyDeleteThe tenants only rent the crop grounds so the only option would be to hire it out.
Delete"machine guns that shoot flaming bullets" That's certainly a step up from a humble drip torch!
ReplyDeleteOnly the best our tax dollars will buy!
DeleteControlled burns? There are places here that should have BURN OR TWO.
ReplyDeleteIn some parts of America, controlled burns have been going on for years to maintain a healthy ecosystem but in other parts, namely a state out west, they aren't or can't and we see the results.
DeleteI wish we could burn our paddocks as it would kill goat parasite eggs and help control the problem. We're really not able to set it up safely though, so we don't do it.
ReplyDeleteWe are fortunate in that my brother does this as part of his job with the U.S. Forest Service so he knows all the advanced techniques to make it safe. We haven't had any issues with escaping fires but we always error well on the side of caution.
DeleteYou really painted a vivid picture of the challenges and hazards of a controlled burn! Walking through freshly-turned earth with a flaming torch in hand sounds both exhausting and nerve-wracking—not a job for the faint of heart.
DeleteOr for the short of fluids too!
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