Fire Safety Tips for Rural Residents

FIRE SAFETY TIPS FOR RURAL RESIDENTS
Create a defensible space of at least 30 feet around your house and outbuildings; closely mow lawns and trees should be pruned and spaced widely apart. Establish fuel breaks along roadways and between buildings and fields or woodlands. Keep mufflers and spark arresters on agricultural equipment in proper working order and watch out for rocks and metal when bush hogging or mowing. Monitor hay-baling operations closely, dry hay can ignite within the baler. Watch out for sparks when using welding equipment to build fences or repair equipment. Avoid driving or parking vehicles in grassy areas where tall, dry grass comes into contact with hot pollution control equipment under vehicles. Postpone outdoor burning until your area greens up, check with local fire department to determine if ban on outdoor burning have been lifted. When debris burning is allowed, establish wide control lines down to bare mineral soil prior to lighting your fire. Burn trash in a burn barrel or other fire-safe receptacle covered with a wire mesh or gird that will help contain burning debris. Stay with your fire until it is out.

Oh Lord, Let it Rain!

O Lord, Let It Rain!

 

Back in 1935, a drought gripped Kansas and prompted W.L. White, editor of the Emporia Gazette, to write the following prayer.

O Lord, in thy mercy, grant us rain, and by that we don’t mean a shower. We want to go out and watch the lightning rip across the southwestern sky in hot, blue forks as the fat clouds roll in on us. We want to hurry home to close the house with the first fat drops the size of marbles, on a suddenly rising wind, chasing us and plunking on the car hood. We want to scramble all over the house, just as the first sheets descend, frantically slamming down the windows.

            O Lord of Hosts, we want to look out of the windows and watch the regiments of close-packed raindrops march diagonally down. We want to hear the gurgle of the gutters under the eaves, and then the sputter of the downspout.

            God of Israel, Isaac, and Jacob, let it come down so hard, let the drops dance so high that the street and sidewalks seem covered with a six-inch fog of spatter-drops. Then let it just keep up for a while, and then begin to taper off, and then turn right around and get a lot worse, swishing, pounding, splattering, pouring, drenching, the thunder coming  - crackity – BAM – and the lightning flashing so fast and furious you can’t tell which flash goes with which peal of thunder; so that all the women will get scared and climb on top of the beds and scream at you not to get too close to that window.

            And then, O Jealous God, repeat the whole act about three times, and in the middle of the second time we will climb the attic stairs and put the wash pan under that tiny leak in the roof which usually you can’t even notice in an ordinary rain. And after a couple of hours, kind of taper it down, O Lord, to a good, steady rain – not a drizzle, but a businesslike one that keeps up until just about dawn and then spits a few drops occasionally during the morning from the gray sky.

            Kansas is indeed the Promised Land, O Lord, and if it gets a break, it will flow with milk and honey. But we can’t live much longer on promises. So in Thine own way and in Thine own time, make up Thy mind, O Lord, and we will bow before Thy judgment, and praise Thine everlasting name, Amen.

Raising Chickens

So, you'd like to get started raising chickens? Be sure you're ready to commit! Here's the first post of a beginner's guide. Let's "start from scratch," so to speak.

There’s a lot to like about raising your own chickens. The eggs are a real temptation—tastier and fresher than any store eggs and better for baking, too. The shells, along with the chicken poop, can be tossed right into the compost pile. Much of the day, the birds entertain themselves, picking at grass, worms, beetles, and all of the good things that go into making those yummy farm eggs.

Remember, though: Nothing good comes easy.

• You'll need a coop. It has to hold a feeder and water containers and a nest box for every three hens. It should be large enough that you can stand in it to gather eggs and shovel manure.
• Chickens need food (and water) daily. Feed is about $20 per 50-pound bag at my co-op; how long a bag lasts depends on the number of chickens that you have.
• Hens will lay through spring and summer and into the fall, as long as they have 12 to 14 hours of daylight. Expect to collect eggs daily, or even twice a day.
• All year ‘round, you’ll have to shovel manure.
• If you go away, you need a reliable chicken-sitter, and they are scarcer than hens’ teeth.
  
  Still interested?
  Chickens are sociable, so plan to keep four to six birds. They’ll need space—at least 2 square feet of coop floor per bird. The more space, the happier and healthier the chickens will be; overcrowding contributes to disease and feather picking.
  The birds will need a place to spread their wings, so to speak: a 20x5-foot chicken run, for example, or a whole backyard. (My hens had lots of outdoor time. They had places to take a dust bath and catch a few rays.) Either way, the space must be fenced to keep the chickens in and predators out. (Did you know? Predators include your own Fido and Fluffy.) Add chicken-wire fencing and posts or T-bars to support it to your list of equipment.
  All of this costs money. The materials to build and furnish a coop and a 20x5-foot run are going to set you back $300 to $400. If you can’t do this work yourself, you'll also be buying skilled labor. Want to increase your flock? Young chicks need a brooder lamp for warmth, but don’t count your chickens before they are hatched