Going Up in Smoke

I was driving home from an errand this afternoon, when Alan called me from home to tell me I was missing all the action. Turns out, two little neighborhood hoodlums (FYI - not my children) were practicing hijinks in the cow pasture (sans cows) behind our house. As a result, the field caught on fire. Burly Worker Man and Associate were some of the first to notice, and Alan called 911. Up roll the firetrucks. And the afternoon's entertainment was assured.

Michael loved the action even more than Matthew, I think. We tried to keep him out of the firemen's way, but he kept creeping back. Here he appears to be helping get the water through the hose. Or at least providing running commentary.
We had firetrucks from several different departments. Lots of action, which brought out all of the neighbors and there was a festive, chatty feel in the air. It was almost as exciting as the cow stampede we had a few years back. Although, nothing can really top that. We have the best neighbors (hi Carol!), and I'll have to remember that emergency vehicles really bind us together.

I never saw flames. They were the highest in the 15 minutes of hullabaloo before I got back to the house. I did see plenty of smoke, though. So much for opening my Brand New Windows for some fresh air. As it turns out, the fire did spread up the hill in the woods directly behind our house (cow pasture is kind of behind us to the left).

The firemen were really sweet to the boys. Here's one giving Michael "five". Michael was in 7th heaven. Michael is, by the way, standing on the boxes of our new siding. That won't hurt it, right? Pretend you don't notice the big dent in our house when you come to visit.

We also had a Forestry Chick come out to check on the situation. She was a very attractive Forestry Chick, and I did notice one of the young firemen dudes chatting her up. Romance on Buckey Court! All thanks to kids playing with matches!

You should have seen the hose. It went on and on and on and on and on. You see, our backyard was the best way to get to the cow pasture, but they had to go across our backyard, over the creek, through the woods, etc. You'd think they would have ended up at Grandmother's House.

The lower guy is standing in the creek while the other two pull the hose along. All told, they were hard at work for two and a half hours. And one fireman told me that was his fourth fire that day. I hope they have some really good coffee at the firehouse.