I smell something burning

The process of cleaning up our yard from the grays and browns of winter, to help it transform into a beautiful green yard full of blooming plants and lush foliage is actually quite extensive. I would say the clean up, raking, trimming, re-barking, tilling, fence fixing, deck cleaning/ re- staining and re-planting probably takes both Brad and I a full 10 days of working on it to make it happen. Now, obviously this cannot all take place, due to time limitations or weather, at one time. We must peck away at it. This weekend it began.

So the place to start for us is to blow out all of the beds (of leave and debris)- me, while Brad power rakes the yard with the lawn mower, over and over and over (to get all of the dead grass out, and aerate the soil). After 5 hours of us both doing this (we have probably 2 acres of grass)- he must of had 30 or more piles of dead grass and debris from the mower. About 3/4 of the way through this process I smelt this strange burning smell. And we soon realized the the grass piles were smoking. Apparently, the exhaust pipe from the mower was so hot, it lit the dead grass on fire... And it's been so dry, that pretty soon... poof, all the piles are burning.

So, actually, this is the time of year that everyone in my neighborhood burns their grass. Mostly fields. They burn it for several reasons, to fertilize, clean up the ugly brown dead grass and make way for the green that is coming, or reduce the fire hazard for this summer. But 2 times this spring so far, due to the dry conditions, my neighbors have had control issues with their burning. And as much as I wouldn't mind if some 'hot' fireman came to put my fire out...(ahem), having a slew of volunteers come barrelling into our yard to put out a grass fire does not sound like a good afternoon to me.

Luckily, we were there, kept the fire in check, no problems, no damage done except to a pile of dead grass. But crazy thing to think about, the exhaust starting the fire. OK, so next weekend... power wash the deck, till the garden... no harm in that right.?

Told you you'd get random stuff from me...