That is quite a trial! I'm sure the market farming internet community
would like to help. How about a gift certificate to Home Depot or
your favorite home and garden supplier?
Sheila
Far Out Gardens
Boulder County Colorado
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2007 4:37
PM
Subject: [Market-farming] Trial By
Fire
On Thursday morning, Feb 22 Glen Eco Farm experienced a
devastating fire that destroyed our house, our plant starting greenhouse,
and shop. Our market van, four wheeler, a car, riding lawn mower,
our seed inventory, and all of our shop and garden tools were
destroyed. A tractor sitting about 15 feet away from the leanto tool
shed adjoining the garage was severely damaged but reparable.
Plastic on the hoophouse another 15 feet farthur away melted in the
heat. The fire was driven by a 50 mph wind that came up suddenly in
the mid morning and gave me only a few minutes from the time I discovered
it til I could warn my wife, make one futile attempt to put it out, and
dash back to the front of the house to grab a few items. We escaped
the house with seconds to spare and sped away from the front of the house
in our car with the tail light lenses beginning to melt in the heat.
We
were able to salvage some clothing and a few pieces of furniture from the
walk out basement which did not experience fire damage. Amazingly
enough we were able to salvage much of my work clothing from a severely
charred chest of drawers in the otherwise totally gutted master bedroom
and most of the appliances, utensils, and some food in the kitchen.
We saved about 2/3 of our already germinated plants from the greenhouse
before a large piece of flaming debris fell beside it, destroying the
structure and frying the remaining plants inside.
We are doing OK
considering the circumstances and most of our immediate needs are being
well taken care of. We have been blessed by overwhelming response
from our local church community, our CSA patrons, and the local Kurdish
community who have been giving us good patronage for several years. Five
days after the fire we held on schedule our annual signup and kickoff
meeting for CSA and signed up once again over 60 CSA shares. On
Saturday morning, March 3, nine days after the fire, around 30 guys with
varying carpentry skills and a good bevy of women skilled at keeping us
fed and watered, converged on our place to raise the packing shed and 1/2
of the pole barn we had begun building a few months earlier and to begin
repairing the damaged hoophouse and to convert it to a plant starting
greenhouse. Yesterday we got the plastic on the greenhouse. I have
reordered and received much of the lost seeds and have been given back
significant amounts of heirloom seed which I had been sharing with friends
and relatives within our local old order Mennonite community for the past
several years. This coming week I hope to get back to gardening only
slightly behind schedule. Life will go on. For all of this we are deeply
grateful!
Due to all the disruption of our routine and the ensuing
physical and emotional stress I have not yet gotten to posting the fire
story on my blog. I have written some of the stories and hope to have them
completed and posted soon along with pictures. My blog can be
accessed by googling "Musings From Glen Eco Farm". www.gleneco.blogspot.com
We covet your prayers as we continue our recovery.
Marlin
Burkholder Shenandoah Valley Virginia.
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