Trash and Puppies

I started out the day by tightening the clothesline again. It is surprising how much it stretches out in very little time. Maybe I should use a turnbuckle of some sort. Steph said it was kind of nice to have it swooping down so the children didn’t have to use step stools. Now, there’s optimism!

My next task was to burn trash. We had a beautifully sunny day for it with only a gentle breeze. Trash has been storing up for quite a good while. We were storing it in the bodega until I was ready to burn it. I wanted a big enough batch to make it worthwhile, as burning trash here is not easy for me. At least, it isn’t if I actually get it all burned away.

I gathered some scrap wood I’d been saving for this very thing and made a pile with it to hold the trash bags. Then I added some bark and some dried grass and began the process of getting a flame going. It’s a good thing matches are inexpensive. I kept wondering how much less time it would take an outdoorsman.

Finally, I had a flame, which I babied from the wind by surrounding it with scraps of wood. I’ve discovered if I can make an enclosed area for the fire to build up heat high enough, it will take off in the trash. But that means I have to get pretty smoky. I’m sure a bunch of you have better ways, but I use the brain I’m given.

When the first diaper catches fire, I know I can walk away. Steph mostly uses cloth diapers for Walter, but at night she uses paper diapers to be guard against leaks in the dike. I’m thankful there aren’t any more to burn than we have.

With the flame nice and high, I added a bag at a time, stirring things up to keep the fire from smothering. It took the whole morning, but I was pleased to have everything burned up. Getting rid of trash this way is rather satisfying.

I also moved the puppies out of the bodega today to the front porch, as they are becoming somewhat active. I don’t want them to start making a mess in the bodega. They’re really getting cute now, and they’re so chubby. Anyone need a dog?

Anne found some scraps of material and made dresses for the little girl dogs. She and Abbey enjoyed mothering them. Abbey says the one brown female looks “just like a grandma.” I don’t know if that means grandmas are cute as puppies or….

Oscar called around noon to ask if we had water because others in the neighborhood don’t. I walked up to check the tank and found better than half a tank, but nothing is running at the spigot. I called Oscar back to let him know. He says that he’d heard there was trouble at the resevoir in the mountain. I don’t know what sort of trouble.

So, we’re back to conserving water again. We’re not out, but we don’t want to run out, either. Water is such a simple thing, but it can sure make trouble if you don’t have it!