I Fell Into A Burning Ring Of Fire

I went down, down, down and the flames went higher.
And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire.
The ring of fire…

I looked outside as I was getting ready for work this morning. It looked cloudy! That would be the most wonderful thing, to get some rain. I went to the kitchen for coffee and noticed a smell in the air. The kitchen window was cracked and the smell was coming from outside. What I thought was cloudy was really haze and smoke from the wildfires. They are all over 100 miles away but the wind is blowing so much the smoke from those fires, along with the smell of the burn, has come this way.

It’s dry and dusty and the tumbleweeds play chicken with the cars as they blow across the highway. About the only green you’ll see are the leaves of the mesquite trees. All of Texas is experiencing a drought. The U.S. Drought Monitor map classified about 60% or so of the state as extreme or exceptional. With dry comes fire danger. Factor in the wind and it’s a deadly situation.

 

 

 

The wildfires out here in West Texas have been devastating. The reports vary from 25,600 acres in one fire to 120,000 acres in another. It’s reported that numerous structures and 60 homes were burned. A railroad bridge near Marfa was damaged causing an Amtrak train came to a complete stop. Passengers on the train were stranded for 18 hours while the burned bridge was being repaired. So far this year, 654 fires burned 916 square miles of land across Texas. Nearly one million acres and 189 homes across the state have been destroyed. The Forest Service and fire departments, including volunteers are working overtime to control and put out these fires. And it doesn’t look to be stopping anytime soon.

They name the fires. There’s the Rock House Fire and the Roper Fire. There’s the Midland County Fire and the Cannon Ranch Fire. There’s the DHR fire and the Hickman Fire. The fires will live on long after they are extinguished.

 

 

The wind is picking up again. It’s supposed to really be bad tomorrow with gusts up to 55 mph. I took the dogs outside and the smell of smoke is again heavy in the air. It scares me. How would I know there was a fire close by if it already smells like it’s burning? The moon casts an eerie glow on the ground below causing things to be more visible than usual. I think about the people who have lost everything they have. I think about the poor animals that couldn’t get away. I think about the charred, black ground. And I wonder why it can’t just rain.

 

 

 

 

 

*(The fire pictures have come from Internet sites, emails, etc. They are floating around everywhere and I don't know who they belong to. If you'd like to read a first-hand account of the fire from my friend Nancy Donaldson, who lives in Fort Davis, Texas, go to https://sites.google.com/site/rockhousefirestories/ )

I fell into a burning ring of fire.

I went down, down, down and the flames went higher.

And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire.

The ring of fire…

On the knitting front, I finished another cowl. I see pictures of people in magazines wearing wool cowls and scarves in the summer. They certainly don’t live out here! The Willow Cowl will be good for the fall.

 

I also finished a lacy scarf out of some green silk. It has to be blocked to be completely finished. I started some strips that will become a ball to play with. I know, using yarn to make a yarn ball…how original! It’s hard to explain so I’ll wait to see how it works out. If it does, I'll post pictures and details. For now I’ll go to sleep, with the smell of burning grass and wood in the air. And I’ll dream of rain.

And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire.

The ring of fire.

The ring of fire.

The ring of fire…