March.
It’s a time for college basketball and spring. It’s time for spring break and Easter.
During early March we made it past the anniversary of the Starbuck fire with very similar conditions for wildfire. I struggled with the thought of having another fire and the high winds, low humidity levels and warm temps. Hearing the wind roar outside made it hard as March 6 came and went. I watched storm chasers and forestry service officials on social media get a handle on some pretty intense fires all around us. I can appreciate their dedication and how quickly they were able to respond.
Now we’ve also made it past the time change. I tend to loath when we fall back an hour in the fall/winter. I despise getting home in the dark and not having time to do anything outdoors in the evening. I enjoy all the daylight at the end of the day now, but it sure puts a cramp in getting supper made and kids to bed at a decent hour. For now at least I have time to get home, get a plan for supper, feed and do some chores outside before it gets dark. I’m really thankful for that.
On the first day of spring here in southwest Kansas we were enjoying the mud and cooler temps left over from a rain/snow event. We were expecting rain but the snow was a complete surprise Monday morning. I tried my dangdest to not cuss the mud, but it just makes our road such a mess. And my Durango. Well, that’s a whole other story. Mud makes it emit some strange noises and makes my check book cringe thinking about something breaking.
Earlier this week forecasters were predicting 80s for Friday, and I’ve already seen red flag warnings for fire around us. The Kansas Forest Service put out a Facebook post March 19 warning people the fire risk still exists. Their post read: RAIN! We are grateful for the precip that most of the state has received overnight, but concerned as well – with rain, people tend to assume fire danger is reduced. What we received will not break the drought, and Kansas wildland fuels are "1 hour fuels" meaning within an hour of a weather change they can be ready to burn again. When the sun and wind are back, fire danger will be as high as before, but now the ground is muddy and trucks will get stuck. DO NOT LET YOUR GUARD DOWN!
Those forecasters were right. Today’s high is supposed to be 90 degrees. We’re on tap to break records for record highs. I’ve seen a little bit of talk about there being more rain next week. I sure hope it comes to fruition.
I lovingly refer to southwest Kansas as "out here in hell" quite often. I hate to sound like a broken record about the extreme weather, but it’s hard to feel optimistic when it’s nearly April and there’s barely any green grass poking out. The other day I found sign to hang on the wall that said, "there’s always something to be thankful for." I bought it even though I didn’t really need it to remind me of all the good things we have in our lives. Soon we just might have all the rain we need and I’ll be thankful for that mud again. Until then I’ll just go be the muddiest car at the car wash.
