Pictures of the fire are on myspace
Thanksgiving started just as any other day, woke up mother was on the computer playing her games. Only for a few hours just before starting breakfast. Then father jumps on the computer to play his games while mother is cooking. It was a simple breakfast, but breakfast always is simple.
Mother never left the kitchen though. She started on a turkey that was large enough to feed ten good men. Just to make enough stuffing to feed twenty (with cranberry sauce), potato salad (which I never eat), deviled eggs, green beans, creamed potatoes, corn on the cob, along with some rolls that would melt in your mouth. I only complained that their was no turkey gravy, but when I bit into the turkey is was as moist as the sweet tea that we drank. Which paw says “they named tea wrong, it should be named p-38. You drink one glass and you have to pee 38 times.”
After eating all this food, mother kicked paw off the computer, she had to work toward getting her “badge.” Well paw decided to go out and trim the vine down (which he had been talking about for several weeks). I finally get off my computer and go out to help. It felt good to actually do some manual labor for a change. After getting the vine cut down, I started fire to high grass in the area, its a small area where the garage used to be and an area that cant really be mowed so the grass was dry, dead and needed clearing. The dry grass didn’t really want to burn. Paw and myself kept making starter fires at several points, it would burn a little ways then go out. But we finally got most of it burned off.
I went in the house to tell mother we was weed eating. I know she can’t hear the weed eater so I thought she would come investigate, but she stayed glued to her games. Paw even comes in later to tell her that we was out there weed eating. There is no flinch. I then come in the house and grab a bag of trash and mother says “Your not going to start a fire are you?”
Here I am going to backtrack and tell you that I dug a burn-pit in the backyard. I have been collecting trash, wood, old clothes, etc. over a period of time, just junk that was burnable. And after clearing the vines along with some extra wood, the pit was full.
Well that got mothers attention, after starting the fire she quickly come out to watch. Not because she likes fires but because she is so paranoid that its going to spread and someone is going to get hurt.
Now today is the most perfect day to have a fire, there is absolutely no wind, the ground is cold but the air temperature is perfectly mild.
She keeps worrying about flying embers catching grass on fire, fire spreading, etc.
I say I gotta go get the camera, and mother sighs at me because, there needs to be someone there to watch it at all times. So while I get the camera, mother goes and gets the water hose. She never uses it, but she has to have it turned on and by her side at all moments.
Mother sits on the bench that I made for times like this. I take several pictures while mother sits there keeping an eye out for flying embers. She is pretty quite then suddenly asks “how many pictures you got in that thing?” I kinda laugh and say “275 more.” I take a few breaks and sit beside mother while watching the fire. And all that keeps coming out of her mouth was how dangerous the fire is. I then explain to her that there is nothing like a good campfire, The only thing I am missing is a tent and sitting out by a lake nestled in the mountains. Being out having a campfire with nothing but you, some friends, and the clear night sky. I mean you want to go somewhere where nothing in live seems to matter, a feeling of peace and serenity.
Mother calms the more the fire burns but she continues to talk about how so many people don’t know what they are doing. Mentioning the fires in California, “how would you like that?” I agree with her, there are a lot of people who don’t know how to maintain a fire and some do get out of control. But man is not the only fire starter, there is lightning, electrical shortages, etc. And a majority of time the wildfires that happen are caused by natural forces.
Now I understand my mother concern, but the extreme paranoia just reinforces the feeling of wanting to leave home that much more.
We finally change the subject and she started talking about how father is going crazy. I say both of them are going crazy. Mother looks at me with a “umph” sound and look on her face. I am like its true, both of you are going crazy and if I stay here to much longer I will be joining you. Because of the repetition that goes on here, there is no change, its the same thing day in and day out.
After about ten minutes into that conversation I guess mother had enough, so she decides to go back in, then I sit out there and wonder if I am the cause of them going crazy? I am sorta the one who stuck them out here in the middle of nowhere, 20 miles from civilization. So there is nothing new ever happening around us. Then I start to think that it was their choice originally to live here.
My sister and brother in law moved here and mother wanted to be close to her grand kids. Which bad blood has accrued over time and she never gets to see the grand kids much.
I just took over the land payments and the mortgage after the first year, insuring property for my future. I just know everything would be different my parents and myself lived closer to the rest of the family which is in north Alabama. Parents would be more active, and not waste away in front of a computer.
I agree I spend a lot of time in from of the computer, but its not a daily repetition of games, there are larger goals than a badge. I normally wouldn’t be in front of the computer as much as I am, if I wasn’t unemployed and living at home, which is in the middle of nowhere. I need people interaction, I need more out of life. I know the time is coming soon. I will not be here after Christmas, I must go somewhere where not only is there work, but a place to where I can have adventure.
Which the philosophy behind my whole life has been a sense of change. Growing up I was in a different school each year. When I got out of school every year brings something new. So I await New Years Day, every year is different, they are all good, which bad things always happen. But there will always be something new awaiting. And the adventures of experiencing the new is what this man longs for.
And I got a little over a month left here and I want to do something productive so I have decided to rebuild the fire pit. This one was placed in a location a few feet farther than what I originally anticipated. I will show the finished product for Christmas.
Tags: alabama, burn pit, conversion, electricity, family, fired, friends, grabs, green, life, mortgage, mountain, night, parents, school, serenity, tents, thanksgiving, water, wind
This is early in the season and most of the elk in the area havent started growing their antlers yet, this is the first one I seen this year with his antlers, and I have to say it looks like its going to be a pretty nice rack. I get next to the creek, trying to get some good pictures and my feet sink into the wet marsh. So as I watch my footing, I stay a good distance from the elk, not wanting to disturb him from his meal. Because he didn’t bother me while I was eating.
