Fred's Fire

Yes, I know I have not posted in a long time. And no, this is some official start back up post tonight. Maybe I will post more. Or Maybe I won't. We'll see. I am in a noncommittal type of mode lately. I have a lot going on in my life currently. And when I have a lot going on in life I actually think a whole lot more. And when I think a whole lot more I have way too much to say. Which is why I am not writing. A blog simply could not contain everything going on inside my head lately. Some of those things are actually quite good and touching and so I have written about those things BUT I just didn't publish it. Other things are probably just ho-hum and so, why bother? 

Of course I could just sit here and tell you all stories about my family life, which never gets dull. I suppose  I could tell you how Fred woke up on Good Friday and almost burned Rome Emmitsburg to the ground. Well, I might be exaggerating a bit. You might remember how I told you it's not a holiday around here unless Fred lights a big ole fire to clean up the yard. This Easter was no different.  

I woke up and decided before the Egg Hunt I should scrub the house. Fred also woke up with big plans. He stepped outside the back door and said "Ellie, I don't think I'll light that fire today. It seems a bit windy and it might not be the best day to do it."  I could hear in his voice, that is as familiar now to me as my very own, his interior struggle. His higher self was in a deadly struggle with his lower self.His male animal instincts which were screeching "Fire, FIRE!" were winning. Little did he realize that the mere mention of the word 'fire' made me turn that inner calm dial to "I can't hear you" and I headed down the hall so as not to argue with my dear husband about all the things he could  be doing to help me instead of lighting a fire. We have been married for too long for me to fall for that old trick. No way. Not today. Its Good Friday.

Hours later the bathroom scrubbed clean, Andrew came and peeked his head in the door.

"Wow-nice job Mom- its clean in here"

 'Thanks Andy' said I.

 "By the way, Dad lit that fire."

 "Oh" I said a bit quieter.

"I took some pictures when you want to see". ( he was gathering evidence)

Then I gulped and started heading to the back door in time to see Fred climbing out of his back-hoe limping badly. "Goodness - go help him" I told Andrew. Once Fred was set down on the couch I asked what happened. 

"Well, I should have listened to myself" he began. "It was just too windy to light that fire today and it started to get away from me ( as it ALWAYS does- but don't let that stop you dear!). "So I decided to get my backhoe and move the logs out of the way so they didn't catch fire too." 

Meanwhile our wonderful neighbors were on alert and Molly sent Mark out to help control the blaze. Fred was filling buckets with water when suddenly "POP!" a muscle in the back of his leg gave out leaving him partially disabled. Mark is having his own knee troubles so I cannot even venture a guess as to how the two of them looked hopping around the yard with hoses and buckets.

When you have been married this long you don't need to say much after the fact. A simple head shaken in disgust will suffice. It didn't hurt that the fire warden called later that day and called a moratorium on all burning due to

gusty weather conditions. It was sort of an outside "I told you so" that didn't cost me a thing. Heck any old fool could have seen that coming- right? In fact the whole of Maryland and Pennsylvania has been on a "No Burn Watch" due to such hazardous conditions. Live and learn. Or don't. His leg is much improved BTW.