About oneta hayes
ABOUT ME
Hello. To various folks I am Neat’nee, Mom, Grandma Neta, Gramma, Aunt Neta, Aunt Noni, Aunt Neno, and Aunt Neto (lots of varieties from little nieces and nephews). To some I’m more like “Didn’t you used to be my teacher?” or “Don’t I know you from someplace?” To you, perhaps, I am a Fellow Blogger. Not “fellow” like a male or a guy, but “fellow” like a companion or an adventurer. I would choose to be Grandma Blogger, and have you pull up a chair, my website before you, while I tell you of some days of yore. I have experienced life much differently than most of you. It was and is a good life. I hope to share nuggets of appreciation for those who have gone before me and those who come after me. By necessity you are among those who come after me and I will tell you of those who came before. Once upon a time in a little house on a prairie - oops, change that lest I commit plagiarism - and change that “house on the prairie” to “dugout on the prairie.” So my story begins...
Sweet aroma 
Fire really is a two-edged sword, isn’t it? It’s so necessary for the health of the prairies, but it can cause such havoc when unplanned and out of control.
Yes, I remember when mom and dad would burn fields and fence rows on purpose. We didn’t have water available for those times that I know of. I remember daddy stomping out the edges of the fire. Also I remember they used shovels to pile dirt on fence posts if they started burning. Generally the grass and tumbleweeds burned too fast to ignite the posts.
Fire so necessary in Australia. Native Australians always burnt selectively and regularly. Wattle only germinates after fire. Havoc and out of control fires are the heartache of this land. Wildfires take out acres and acres of plain country and destroy vegetation, animals, and humans. Yes, Oneta selective burning as your mom and dad did is what still should be done here every winter. Sadly often it is too dry and no permits to burn are allowed. By the Spring it can be too wet. By Summer the grass is too high and then comes the blazing heat and …………. Thank you for thoughtful post.
Faye, sounds like you have negative reactions to fires as I do. My husband and son get permission to burn fallen trees and branches on occasion. I’m always grumpy about it. I would rather they load debris on a trailer and haul to dump where it is someone else’s problem. Costs some but not much. It is a lot of work however. I must ask – what is wattle?
Chills . . . very good. Lots of imagery.
Thanks for the comment. Don’t we writers all like to evoke emotion. 😀