time moves so strangely for us. summertime time is fire season time. and that doesn't even look the same from one season to the next. this season, we are in a pocket of hot and very, very dry. {we go to the river as often as we can for some wet and some green.} ben can be working a fire any given day, and may be camped out on one for one night or three nights or five nights or no nights. he might be in the station for part of a day, but then be back out on a fire again by evening. days of the week don't hold any particular meaning right now. except monday. monday nights the kids have band practice, so that acts as a marker in our weeks. and i work monday through friday, so the kids and i can count on doing something that makes it feel a bit like a weekend on either saturday or sunday.
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friday night :: my husband is out patrolling a fire that is just over the border to the south, a fire being fed by strong winds out of the south
he was home for two hours - 2000 until 2200. he had supper. he sat on the front step with maddie and chaco for a while. i sat by him on the couch for about fifteen minutes or so. and then his phone rang. i packed up some of the chocolate chip cookies i made this evening and poured him a fresh cup of coffee, gave him as big a kiss as i dared in front of the kids, and told him, "i'll see you when i see you."
lightning is flashing, wind is whipping, the moon that was full and is now waning gibbous appears now and then from between cloud masses and lights the landscape
saturday morning :: bright sun. wind out of the northwest today, changing to southwest sometime this evening. red flag warning till 2100 this evening because the wind + sun + dry conditions + humidity lower than 30% and even dropping down in the low teens = dangerous fire conditions. the guys were back in the station for about half an hour this morning. the wind changed last night and kept the fire south of the border. i was having a cup of coffee by ben when they got another call. to a fire on their coverage area. about 17 miles from our house. depending on the behavior of the fire, the kids and i might drive out later to have a look and take some pictures.
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if ben gets a day off right now, it is either wednesday or thursday. but, they can also work 14 days straight and sometimes get an extension to work 21 days straight. after 14, they have a mandatory 24 hours off, after 21, they have 48. but there can be modifications. this last stretch was 15 days with 24 hours off. so, ben had thursday off, and i took thursday off, so we could spend the day together. all four of us. because the next time we get to do this may very well be in september.
we made the most of our day. we all slept in a bit, just enough to feel really rested. we drove south and did some errands that needed doing. we laughed and talked in the car together. we ate lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. we played in the river in spearfish canyon. we ate treats. ben and i drank coffee. we brought pizza and a movie home with us and stayed up late. we filled the day up with good things.
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and now, today, saturday. the kids and i will bump around home together. maybe do a few chores. maybe play a game. maybe do some hobby projects. and tomorrow, sunday, more of this easy summertime. it may not be so windy tomorrow. it may be a good day to go to the lake. we'll see how the day shakes down. how time moves for us.
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happy saturday, my friends, whatever your saturday may look like. go gently, go fiercely, and be wonderful.
love, e