Wow, what a week it has been! I am not sure where I left off with my last blog, but last Wednesday, my twin sister in Molalla Oregon was evacuated form her home due to a threatening wildfire. My heart went out to her and her family, and all others going through the same emergency because we recently went through it and it is Hell on earth. Thankfully, her family has a travel trailer that they were able to camp out in at a friends property in a safe place from the fire threat, but it was for five long days.
The whole Clackamas county was on evacuation notice, which in a city, you can only imagine the roads, highways, and freeways. I saw pictures of lines of vehicles. There were trailers full of animals from volunteers from all over the state who came to help evacuate the rural zones. It was apocalyptic! One never thinks it will happen to them because it is so surreal.
All of this was like a 2020 movie flashing across the live screen! Thousands of acres were burned. Hundreds of homes and business, even a few small towns were left as ash, and even some precious lives were lost. Plus there were many close calls!
Thankfully my sister and her family are back home now and probably more grateful than ever before!
Next came the smoke filled sky. Wait, let me rephrase that. Next came the smoke filled air. Smoke swept across the state of Oregon and slowly expanded to reach out to states across the whole U.S. I kept hearing the report of, "Worst air in the world."
In the meantime, other people and states were bracing for hurricane Sally and experiencing floods and other natural disasters.
I honestly could not follow it all. I, like everyone else here was trying to breathe. I really struggled with the smoke and spent a lot of time in our master bathroom because it has no windows to the outside and was the freshest air I could get.
Everyone else in the family just powered through and laid low. We kept the house as protected as we could but we still had to go out several times a day to feed and tend to animals and check on them. They seemed to know to use their energy sparingly, and they ate but did nothing else.
School was cancelled through some of the smoke days and when I did go in to start some distance learning reading groups, I had to cough and gag my whole way through it. That was not a good situation to contend with in the midst of a pandemic.
Today, praise God, is the first day of fresh air in a week, thanks to a bit of thunderstorms which brought rain across our state. Just when I was really getting concerned for the horse, pony, goat, and chickens, the smoke cleared. Now it is business as usual and we are feeling so blessed!
During the week while we were home and socked in by smoke, I had baked a whole bunch of bread loaves for purchase from our 3 Corners Farm in order to help fundraise for another upcoming vet visit for the rescue animals. (In case you didn't know, our mini herd of horse, pony and goat are rescues with difficult pasts and some medical needs which require expensive medications.)
The baking kept me busy and at least made the house smell less like smoke and more like cinnamon bread, however, the orders keep pouring in and I have been nothing but busy since!
This morning, I kneaded two loaves of white bread and they are rising while I type. I have also done farm chores and fed the animals throughout the day. I emptied and loaded the dishwasher twice now in order to be able to use the baking bowls and things for baking two more loaves of cinnamon bread this afternoon.
Travis is making deliveries. Next up, I need to fold laundry and get caught up on all the housework that was neglected during the week of smoke, since none of us had any spare energy to get anything beyond the basics around our farm, done.
I feel like this blog post has been a bit strung out all over the place but that is how my mind is at the moment. I do not even have enough words or time to tell everything and as I type there are sirens out on the main road and reports of another fire on 7 Mile Hill.
With this recent moisture, I can't imagine it will burn much before the firefighters get it under control. Not to mention, everyone, and I mean everyone, is on high alert these days!
I must sign off now to continue my bread baking and house work. I would also like to groom the horses, and oh! I forgot to mention that we have a new horse trailer to use. It is a stock trailer and will easily fit all three of our herd animals safely.
It needs a bit of work put into it but we are just the right folks for that, and it at least is still safe enough to use in a pinch, but that is another story for another time.
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There are always many adventures on our little farm!
Many blessings to all,
Amy Darr
3 Corners Farm
Mosier Or., U.S.A.
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