Wow where did the time go?!? One problem with living in a hole is that if you don’t poke your head out every once in a while you can lose track of what day it is – or for that matter what month it is.
Folks around the United States will soon be celebrating Independence Day on July 4. However for many in Colorado and other areas of the country there will be no fireworks this year. Here in Colorado the monsoon flow which draws moisture up from the Gulf of Mexico during the summer months has been cut off. This has led to hot, dry, and windy days with little to no moisture – that moisture that we do get barely reaches the ground before evaporating. The fire danger here is extremely high. We’ve also had a very active fire season thus far this year – you need took no further than the nightly news to see that.
What’s the point of all this you ask? Well aside from the annual flood of news stories that show what various fireworks can do if you set them off yourself if you live in an area with a high fire danger you should NOT be using fireworks – period. All it takes is one small spark near dry grass to start a raging fire which could destroy trees, homes, and people’s lives. I’m sorry to get on the stump and have to say this but recently a large number of families in the Black Forrest area outside of Colorado Springs CO were told to evacuate because of a fire (the cause, the last I had heard, was under investigation). After the fire was put out 509 families found that their lives had changed – their homes damaged or destroyed by the massive fire. Not far from where I live 6 homes were destroyed (again, cause unknown) but the source as always was a spark of some kind.
I’m not preaching against barbecues and having fun outside. I’m all in favor of having a good time on the 4th of July and the weekend that follows. What I am calling for is for everyone to be careful. If you smoke please don’t throw your cigarette or other butts out the window – that’s another cause of fires even along public highways.
OK, I’ll get off the soap box for now. Wherever you are please have a happy and safe Fourth of July!