Saturday coffee and cordial conversation thread March 14

[5thDragoons]

Major prairie fire trouble in western Nebr. Nothing burning too close to Haystack, but there's sure a lot of smoke in the air! This will really mess up hunting with displaced wildlife. Turks were just starting to come back on the ranch where I used to hunt them, but coyotes and such will be moving in.

This happened a few years ago from a big fire up by Crow Butte uranium mine. Mountain lions relocated and really raised heck with deer & turks on a ranch where I had permission to hunt. Walking a small creek, I found 3 fresh deer kills showing all the signs of a big cat having done the deal.

A couple small towns were evacuated, but that's been lifted this morning. I told wifey's sister she should get up on her roof with a garden hose and keep things wetted down. Stand watch from up there, too! And she's squirrely enough to do it!

Otherwise, really nothing new going on here. SW

[Doc Sharptail]

Little early for fires here. Real spring melt is at least 10 days to 3 weeks away.
We usually don't get dry enough until the final week of May.
Snuck off late at 7 a.m. for a Tim's coffee. The roll up the rim contest had me win a few free cups of coffee.
Dunno what I've done to Mrs, S. She threw a 1/4 of a footlong meatball sub at me~ and missed.
I suppose I had better find out rather soonish than laterer. At least she cleaned up most of the mess.
They really aren't my favorite thing to eat, which is what I was trying to explain to her.
Halo's crooked enough without adding stuff like this....

-D.S.

[5thDragoons]

As of 2100 last night, fires were still burning brightly. The ranch of wifey's nephew was right on the edge, so he and neighbors were busy discing a fire break. His daughter was loading neighbor horses into her trailer and hauling them to a town 40 miles away to ride the danger out at the sale barn (where she works). Others were opening all gates so livestock could escape the flames. That will be a mess to sort after the fact, but much better than losing cattle to flames.

But! There was light rain and snow all night so there's hope! I looked on wifey's fake book a bit ago, but too early for fresh news. SW

[lyman]

no fires here, but I do need to light one and burn some sticks, twigs etc, and some scrap cardboard etc here at the shop,
wet enough to get it done, just have not taken the time


took the day off yesterday, kinda, put the missus in the car and hit a small trade/swap meet at the rifle club I belong to,

only maybe 25 tables, did not see any smoking deals, but may hook up with a fellow member next month at a show and buy a couple guns,

wife went cause I promised a nice lunch at a good brewery up in Va's wine country, (Blue Mountain Brewery)

putting in a half day today, and headed out to get a hair cut and then home to cut the grass,
may light up the grill ,

[Allen]

"no fires here, but I do need to light one and burn some sticks, twigs etc, and some scrap cardboard etc here at the shop,
wet enough to get it done, just have not taken the time"

Ditto. I have a small burn pile that needs to burn. Wet enough, just too windy.

[5thDragoons]

Things worked out for wifey's nephew - no fire on his ranch! He's busy helping neighbors now. SW

[Doc Sharptail]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/tragedy-as-grandma-fleeing-massive-wildfires-dies-as-half-a-million-acres-are-burned-across-nebraska/ar-AA1YFZWf?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=69b7814cf33642e78be2e1c4b03246f7&ei=53

Just off the news feed here. (not one of my trusted sources, but looks legit)

-D.S.

[5thDragoons]

Unfortunately, it's legit. Wifey's niece had 4 horses in her trailer and had to gas it to get through before a wall of flame engulfed the road. Horses are now at the sale barn, and she's helping her dad with calving.

[5thDragoons]

A little extra on the lady who didn't survive the fire... This was in Arthur County, and both sides of wifey's family are from there. Since it's very sparsely populated (more people could well live in your apartment building than the entire county) lots of folks are related, and it turns out she was shirt tail relation - distant cousin sort of thing. Small world, indeed! SW