Up in Smoke!

High 50 F
Low  28 F

The ornamental grasses are not ornamental at this point in their life cycle.  They have been battered and beaten by the winter storms and rains and are looking disheveled, worn and just plumb tired.   They don't even look very substantial at this point do they?  It is time to address their removal as there is still just a bit of snow piled on the ground here and there where the snow plow left the heaps.  If there is snow on the ground, no burning permit is necessary and since the grass burning takes barely ten minutes it would hardly merit attention  except to those in close proximity.  It is always fun to invite someone new who has not witnessed the conflagration a little flame produces in such a short time and this year was no different.  The newbies did not know what they were in for but they enjoyed the experience as we all do.  The EM lit the grasses, not with a little match but with the torch from the barn which he then used to caramelize the creme brulee.  No match for the EM! He is the Equipment Manager.   It takes very little time for the grasses to catch and spread.  As you can see from this picture, I forgot to move the little cement statue given to me by my son one Mother's Day.  She sits in silence watching the approaching flames.  Rocky saves the day by rushing into the fire (in his fire coat) to pluck her from the edge of the melee.   The coat came in handy once again when the  grass in the bench bed burned as it is a bit close to the as yet small crabapple tree.  Rocky stood between them to prevent it from scorching.  It is a few days before the first day of spring and reflection is important at this time of year. The burning sweetens the soil and cleans up the mess quite nicely.  It is a hot fire.  Everyone steps back once the flames erupt and the burning coals are mesmerizing.  The charred area is ready for the re-growth of spring and the gardener. along with the trusty Project Manager, Tucker, saves a bit of energy for the other many tasks which await her attention.