Monday, April 20, 2009

Theme Thursday--Fire !!!

I have never "bought into" prevent forest fires. Don't get me wrong, I am not a pyromaniac and I believe in being very responsible while visiting forested lands. In fact, I am a "land steward" as a hobbyist. That said....forest fires renew our lands by giving back nutrients, burning out ladder fuels, killing deadly pine beetle and spruce bud worms and allowing new seeds to germinate and give forests life. My grandfather a 8th generation cattle rancher learned from his Native American neighbors to set fire to his range land when he left it in the fall for his valley ranch in Northern California. When he returned to his summer range the next spring all grasses were new and life was abundant. My family arrived in northern California in 1856. We still hold the title to the lands but regulations have been imposed by those in Washington DC who know NOTHING of range management thus the reason for the now raging forest fires and deadly beetle outbreaks. If they subscribed to "control burns" our lands would be so much more healthy for everyone to enjoy. How about less government regulation...let nature do what it is suppose to do without costly intervention. Our tax dollars could certainly be used for better purposes.

Fires Renewing the Earth
(not my photos)

Yellowstone fire 1988







Yellowstone Fire 1988












OK now I am off my political stand and on to rustic fireplaces. I love our mountain home...the warmth of the fireplaces are extraordinary in the fall and winter and still a delight on cold spring mornings!!! Wish I had this 1st photo fireplace...oh my!(1st Photo not mine)

























And because this is a whimsy site....I have added some favorite toys!!!


Cast Iron Firemen Toys:




























Tin Firemen Toys:



































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14 comments:

  1. TomApril 22, 2009 at 6:36 PM

    nice post...like everything else, people encroaching into the wild places screw everything up, as we are spending valuable tax dollars saving million dollar homes built too closely to forests...oh well...we could go on forever, but let's don't. Happy Thursday.

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  2. LeahApril 22, 2009 at 7:29 PM

    The fire pics are terrifying, and majestic. And you are correct in what you say--very interesting post.

    And love the toys!

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  3. Ronda LaveenApril 23, 2009 at 1:48 AM

    I live in the heart of forest fire country in upper northern California. I second your motion. We had a huge one last summer. Lasted over nearly 2 months. Like the firplace and fire toys.

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  4. Kris McCrackenApril 23, 2009 at 2:02 AM

    More fires equal less fires. Even more so here in Australia, the joint has evolved to burn!

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  5. AnonymousApril 23, 2009 at 4:21 AM

    You've got it right on the controlled burning thing. We did that on the ranch in New Mexico. Love the fireplaces and toys! And that your family history goes so far back. Wonderful!

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  6. Tess KincaidApril 23, 2009 at 5:34 AM

    Cool old fire truck toys!

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  7. Brian MillerApril 23, 2009 at 6:09 AM

    appreciate your take on the controlled burns. love the fireplace pics! wish we had a fireplace still.

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  8. ReyjrApril 23, 2009 at 8:50 AM

    We had our flight to California delayed once because of a forest fire (the big one in 2003!)

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  9. RoyApril 23, 2009 at 2:41 PM

    I just left a comment on Colette's blog about the same thing. Controlled burn is the closest human-created thing to natural fires (lightning strikes, etc.) doing natural forest maintenance.

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  10. Wings1295April 23, 2009 at 2:45 PM

    Wow - never knew about controlled burns! Very interesting.

    Loved all the pics, too. :)

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  11. Colette AmeliaApril 23, 2009 at 2:49 PM

    We seemed to be of one mind today...and of similar minds last week!

    Cool!

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  12. DineometerDebApril 23, 2009 at 6:35 PM

    I'm sorry, I couldn't pay attention to the post. I was too busy drooling over the luscious lemon drop to the right. Time for a cocktail! Cheers!

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  13. Cuppa JoApril 25, 2009 at 9:01 PM

    I agree with you about control burns. And I no next to nothing regarding this topic. Last years fires in California had me holed up at home for a week with raging sinusitis. And then there was that evening when the toxic cloud from SoCal floated up to the Bay Area. It looked like the end of the world. I wouldn't have been surprised if I had had a close encounter as I stood out on the eerily silent street gawking at the yellow overcast sky. That was creepy.

    I like the fire engines. Do you have any toy dalmatians to add?

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  14. MrsupoleApril 26, 2009 at 12:07 AM

    Yes, the bark beetle needs to be destroyed and stopped and the only way is to burn the forests that are being attacked. But because of the ones who think they are protecting the forest, they are slowly destroying it. Most of my firewood has pieces that the beetle has destroyed. At least the wood can be used for this.

    Enjoyed the pictures. Thank you for posting them.

    God bless.

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