A Fire; a Fall: and Frozen Dead Guy Days

Wildfires. Grass fires. These are bad news in times of drought. At Fort Carson, near Colorado Springs, officers ordered live ammunition training today. They caught the grasslands on fire, and have so far burnt 6,200 acres. It was entirely uncontained at 9 p.m. this evening, and photo-journalists homed in on a lot of creatures that were fleeing for their lives. Being extremely prejudiced in favor of the animals, I'd like to see a few officers fleeing for their lives in front of fires being driven by 25 mph winds.... Let's see, 640 acres equals one square mile; so the fire at Fort Carson has burned almost 10 square miles of grassland so far. Talk about habitat destruction!

I either need a "keeper", a Michelin-man-type rubber inflatable suit, or to go around in full body pads, including a helmet. I have walked the sidewalk between my apartment and the corner of Arapahoe and Folsom thousands of times in the last 47 months. I know fully well that the sidewalk is uneven between home and the corner. Today, I was walking the two blocks over to Sunflower Market, in full daylight - but I was engaged in thought (now there's an excuse!) - when I failed to pick up the toe of my left shoe high enough to step up onto the next piece of sidewalk. I fell flat my face - again. I took all the skin off the palms of my hands, and have a tremendous case of cement rash on my left knee - my big toe won't move, and I can't walk on it without pain, and my knee has swollen up to the size of a bowling ball. I can not believe that I am such a klutz!!! I don't do this type of thing when I'm with critters. Maybe I should always have a pet with me when I go out?

For a town like Nederland that thrives on the colorful, the offbeat, and the weird, Frozen Dead Guy Days is a fitting way to end the short days of winter and head into the melting snows of spring. The story stretches from Norway to California to Colorado, involving cryonics, deportation, psychics, celebrations, and a dedicated Ice Man. It's a tale that has captured international attention and sparked a must-attend annual event called Frozen Dead Guy Days. The community experiences a new burst of life with the festival's creative contests, icy events (including the Polar Plunge jump into frigid water), fundraisers, parades, and parties. People come from around the world every March to experience the legacy of Grandpa Bredo ¨ even representatives of cryonics organizations who want share the science behind this unique story. Frozen Dead Guy Days begins at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 6th and runs through the evening of Sunday, March 8th. There will be music, a parade, coffin races, and a Rocky-Mountain Oyster eating contest, plus a lot of other great fun... For more information, visit http://www.nederlandchamber.org/events_fdgd-home.html (Nederland is just a short drive and/or bus ride up Boulder Canyon.)