Life marches on.

Even though the smoke is the worst yet, life still happens and faith grows and we just ... do. What else to do but keep busy.

I was going to throw the thing she has nested on away: I will wait

closer shot. Nature is still busy recreating life 

I wanted to see how many time I could take her picture and how close 

baby bird left after the mom flew away

crazy sun

same shot but pulled the lens back a little

Hanging In there 6.6.11 Worst smoke morning yet

6 am 6.6.11 in my back yard

I went outside in the early morning: my favorite time and was hit with a wave of old stink and this view. My neighbors orchird is 1/4 mile from my barn. I can't see them.

sunrise red

pink glow above a red small cold sun

6/4 about 3 PM Wallow Fire Smoke in SJ

I drove down the road and took some pics again. The smoke has changed for the 3rd time today.

at different times of the day, the smoke was being blown into town and at others it was being blown towards Sanders. 

Saturday Jun 4th St. Johns: A day of faith, A day of heartache

I heard the fire was 5 miles from Springerville. My family in RV is packed and ready to evac if needed. I am so sad for the loss of our mountains. It has really hit me hard this morning about the loss. I know most people will be ok and we will recover. I pray that we all are praying for divine intervention of rain or something good to come from this all.

Lord protect us from ourselves. I keep reminding myself that the Lord has a plan.

Around 8 AM outside our back porch: the sun was barely orange

A view from a parking lot: for you SJ-ers, this is the backside of the Padilla/Crosby places. No visibility past the road. Can't see the Davis place or anything in the horizon. The smoke smell was strong, eye-burning.

SJ High School District office  and Tennis Courts. As you can see (not see) past the tree-line going to the JR high.

Another SJ photo: the Issacsons' hill and can't see beyond about 1/2 a mile as the crow flies. I was on the corner of 24th and 15 for these photos about 8:45.

Down N24th West street about 9:30 AM 6/4. Again, on the corner of 24th and 15th.

In Round Valley visibility is about 3 houses. They have not been evac'ed yet, but waiting. Check out inciweb.com for more information and horrific beauty in the photos. 

**later** the wind picked up and blew some of the smoke out toward Sanders. I can see blue sky where in the pictures above 2 hours earlier, I couldn't. This is a mixed blessing. Windy days means more acres burned. It also means less smoke in the low lying areas. 

Fire and Faith

It would be nice to just be angry and the thoughtless ones who began the fire journey.

It is especially tempting when we have family and friends and associates who are even more worried than I am- living 35 more miles away from the scene of fear. I can't imagine what families in Alpine, Nutri, and Round Valley are experiencing. I see the clouds billowing up over the mountain tops and wonder how many acres it is burning right now and why it can't be contained and why the Lord is allowing this to happen.

At times like these that threaten my life with gut wrenching fear and worry, I have to listen to the still small voice of reason and faith to stay afloat, alive, and functioning. I have never had fire threaten my home, but I do face my own raging fires from time to time. I don't handle them well. I let them so preoccupy me and my physical self that I don't hear the spiritual self getting answers to my desperate pleas.

In calm times I can remind myself that fire helps regrowth even if  you can't see it for a while. Fire helps grasses grow and there are certain types of trees that can't drop their seeds without fire. This fire is awful, but there is symbolism in it that I have been thinking about for the last few days.

Just like in our lives when we have a fire that seems to destroy everything we cherish, what can it help regrow? I follow NeiNei dialogues and I see the effects of fire in their lives and faith. It is awful and yet in her almost 30 year-old-life she has some amazing things too. I have seen such faith, out pouring of love and insights into the human mind that it helps me. I haven't had a big "fire" in my life for a while, just day to day stuff that can wear me down and make me forget what I am trying to accomplish. I hope I am not due for another rager burning through my life like 50,00 destroyed acres. I hope my little fires can push me along to that refiners fire as well. I seem to be able to handle the need to be ever watchful day to day more so than I can long bouts of evergreen and then a burn out.

And so we live by faith. What else can I do when it gets so bad I don't know how to fix it? One of our goals in life is personal growth and and attainment. I found some peace and faith in what Elder Richard G Scott was inspired to say on the subject.

"God has given us the capacity to exercise faith, that we may find peace, joy, and purpose in life. However, to employ its power, faith must be founded on something...God uses your faith to mold your character...character is the manifestation of what you are becoming. Strong moral character results from consistent correct choices in the trials and testing of life. Your faith can guide you to those correct choices. Clearly, it is what you do and what you think about that determine what you are and what you will become...Faith will forge strength of character available to you in times of urgent need. Such character is not developed in moments of great challenge or temptation. That is when it is used...Why worry about future calamities or uncertainties over which you have no control? ...When challenges and testing do come, your faith will lead you to solutions. Your peace of mind, your assurance of answers to vexing problems, your ultimate joy depend upon your trust in Heavenly Father and His Son, "


He said it so well. May I be the answer to someone's needs during this time of crisis.

A run that was almost fun

Personal best mile for me 9:37. Found a groove and ran the whole time. I almost don't hate running.

A gift that cost me money

Awhile ago my darling Mr Darcy ( and usually he is so so Mr Darcy for me) went hunting and used the truck I usually drive as his huntin truck. I guess I didn't clean it out well enough because when he came back with a deer, empty Vienna weenie cans and pop tart boxes, I found also ONE blue denim high heeled shoe.
 ONE.
 Mr Darcy kept quiet about said shoe and let me look and wonder where I put IT.

Somehow later he or his friend said the mate got ran over one day, but they didn't know about it until the next day when they were back at the same place, saw a ruined heel and though "HUMM" really? they knew.
So I said he owed me two pair of heels to make up for the loss. One pair to replace the shoes and one for the "lie".

And so one day in May Mr Darcy showed me shoes all beautiful and bought me two pair so quickly that my head spun. Love them. But I wonder how much I really love them now.


Because the bill was on my statement this month and not his.
Tricky, very tricky.
I will show him how tricky I can be at getting my money back out of him.