Sunday, July 1, 2012

Colorado Fires Report and the Irish Derby

Our fire fighters have been working hard, and all residents of the state of Colorado owe them a huge debt of gratitude and thanks.  Several fires are still burning, and, probably, we will have fires burning until winter storms extinguish them.  Flagstaff, the fire closest to Boulder, is now 90% contained.  The three fires closer to Durango  are still a little wild - the Little Sand fire has been burning since May 13, and is only 34% contained; the Lightner fire is 75% contained; and the Weber fire is 65% contained.  The Waldo Canyon fire, near Colorado Springs, is 45% contained - and has caused the most damage so far this year.  There is another wildfire, the Pine Ridge fire, which is 25% contained, but is spreading, near I-70 and Grand Junction on the western side of the state.  The following fires are 100% contained, and are not expected to cause further damage: the High Park fire near Fort Collins; the Treasure fire near Leadville; the Eby Creek fire; the Button Rock, the Hewlett Gulch, the Lower North Fork, the Springer, and the Sunrise Mine fires; the Woodland Heights fire near Estes Park; and the Ironing Board fire on Green Mountain above Boulder.
   I was excited to read that Camelot won the Irish Derby by two lengths yesterday at the Curragh.  Camelot is a son of Montjeu, which means Northern Dancer breeding; and the broodmare sire is Kingmambo, which leads back to Nureyev, Northern Dancer and *Forli.  He's another relative of the Sleepy Hollow horses.
   Nedi is outside, trying to pick on the local crow family, but it sounds as if they are picking on him, instead.  Lovey is laying on the corner of the desk, and I'm having difficulty keeping her off the keyboard...  Maggie May went out with  me last night to turn on the irrigation ditch and prime its' pump; she was waiting outside my screen door this morning, quietly anticipating her breakfast of chicken breast, livers, and hearts.  I fed her, showered, watered the plants, and came home to my kits.  They greeted me as if they hadn't seen me in weeks, instead of hours.  I love them.
   My thoughts go out to those folks on the east coast, who are suffering from the effects of the heat wave and severe storms that have produced power outages.  Having grown up in Florida and Virginia, I know of the humidity there - and how horrible it is to be without electricity in the summer.  I feel for everyone who has been affected and afflicted by these storms.
   I hope your Sunday is pleasant.

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