Fire

We had a fire yesterday. A fairly big one. It burned close to an acre of land behind the house. It was a pretty scary experience, but as I looked back on the events of the day, I realized that we had been blessed in many ways. These were our blessings:

• My father-in-law, Max, spent the morning hunting, but just as he saw the first animals of the season, he had the thought that he should go home. Madeline, my mother-in-law, and I were in the house yesterday afternoon. Max hadn't been home more than a few minutes when he went outside to chain the dog up and saw the fire. We wouldn't have noticed until much later had he not been home. It's possible everything could have been lost.
• I had time to move our car that was parked back by the fire
• The volunteer fire fighters came very quickly. I think it only took them 10 minutes. They had to go from their jobs to the firehouse, and then out to the country in that 10 minutes.
• Scott and his dad had spent the last couple of weeks tearing down old sheds on the side of the entrance to their home. If the sheds had still been there yesterday, the fire trucks wouldn't have been able to pass through the narrow driveway.
• The fire burned around and under two of Max's farm trucks, but the trucks themselves were untouched.
• The fire didn't reach the large gas barrels in the driveway.
• We were safe, the house was safe, and the farm fields on either side of the fire were untouched.
• There were many friends and neighbors who stopped by to offer help and condolences.

I didn't get any pictures of the fire before it was mostly put out. It just didn't seem right to have a camera out there.
The rest of the pictures were taken this morning as Scott and Max were removing a couple of trees that were still smoldering.

When my mother-in-law first screamed down the hall to me that there was a fire out back, I thought it was right up against the house. My first thought was to grab my daughter and our shoes so we could run across the street. At that moment I realized that nothing else really mattered. I didn't think to save any of our possessions. It was a powerful reminder of what is really important, because our possessions can be lost at any moment.

Idaho Driving

This morning I was reading through Idaho's Driver's Manual in preparation for taking the written test to get our licenses (I know, I'm kind of a nerd that way). A couple of passages stood out to me as a reminder that I now reside in a very different area than I'm used to. You'll appreciate the second one if you've ever been stuck behind a driver with Idaho plates.

1. Horses, cattle, sheep, goats, and other livestock under controlled movement over a highway or road have the right of way in Idaho. Livestock also run at large in much of Idaho's range country, and they have the right of way. Drivers must be alert for animals grazing unattended on "open range", which means almost all areas outside of city limits and herd districts upon which livestock by custom, license, lease, or permit, are grazed or permitted to roam.

2. Since it's dangerous to drive slow when other traffic is going fast, a minimum speed may also be posted. If you can't or don't want to drive at the posted speed on a freeway, choose another kind of road to travel on.

It's an interesting place, this state of Idaho.

Twin Falls County Fair

Last Saturday we decided to take a little drive to the Twin Falls County Fair. A year ago we were at the Texas State Fair, and while it was fun, the little one in Idaho was much more manageable for us.

The highlight for Madeline was all of the animals. She liked the pigs the best. I liked the rabbits that were the size of small dogs. And the alpacas.




















We were there so early in the day that the food tents were just starting to open, and the rides hadn't started yet. Scott and I decided to come back later that night for a little date. Free babysitting is one of the best perks of living with family!

We had a fun night filled with hand holding, delicious yet greasy fair food, and a romantic ride on the farris wheel (we found that a little kissing helped with our fear of heights). We felt like teenagers in love, but better.

Life on the Farm in Pics

Life on the Serr Farm

Unable to secure any other employment, we have found ourselves on the Serr farm while Scott helps his dad with watering and other projects. What does one do on a farm that's sort of in the middle of nowhere, Idaho? Well, we're learning.

• We make three pretty extravagant meals each day. When my mother-in-law is at work, the "we" is "I".
• We do the dishes by hand after each large meal.
• We clean and do other typical household stuff.
• Scott gets up early and helps his dad on the farm, or sometimes they tear down old sheds in the yard
• I go on morning runs along the canal banks, or take Madeline in the stroller to see the horses up the road.
• We watch Scott swing across the canal on a rope and assure him I WILL try it some day when I am confident I won't end up in the middle of the canal.
• We pull weeds in the garden and pick beautiful flowers for the kitchen table
• We take naps.
• I read on the back porch while Madeline jumps on the trampoline.
• Madeline packs the outside kittens around like little rag dolls. And sometimes tries to push them around the yard in her stroller.
• Madeline plays with her cousin, Zane, who lives just around the corner.
• We do the daily crossword puzzle in the paper. My mother-in-law and I are quite the team.
• We experiment with rhubarb desserts because their garden is being taken over by it.
• We spend our evenings curled up with a good book or watching a movie with popcorn and root beer (in case you're wondering, no, I can no longer button my pants).

Life here is slow, but peaceful. It's just what we need right now. We are so blessed.