What a day

Hello all it's Mom.

Phelan & I had quite a day yesterday. I told her I was going to tell you about it & she shrieked with terror.

She was visiting my home when one of those Kansas storms came up. It thundered, gave a light show & the wind blew hard. We were working on our new business, when she said "Did you hear that?" I didn't hear anything except the storm. She said it sounded like a transformer blowing up. "Nope, I didn't hear anything."

I live in Historic old town. The river, the Arkansas,(pronounced Ark, like in Noah's ark & Kansas, like the state, say it like the state of Arkansas & people around here get a little ticked off), runs by my house & behind it is a owl reserve with a woods & park. We walked out on the porch about 30 minutes after Phelan heard her mystery noise to find my youngest son & his wife walking up. They bought the house next door to me.

My son asked. "Did you see the fire out back." Phelan, loving to be right yells "I told you so." Sure enough right were the woods is the densest, a transformer was on fire. Now. Phelan & I kinda like fireman. So, they got a call.

Here they come, one little truck with two expert firemen. They pull up to the scene, jump out, run toward the woods & stop like a wall hit them at the edge of the woods. They couldn't figure out how to get in. They walked around the house looking for a path & they came back.

In unison, their hands went up to scratch their heads, down to their hips, they leaned on one leg together & would say "well" together. I told Phelan, "I think they have been living together to long."

They decide to try to spray water on the fire from the street. We watched, thinking maybe we should have brought lawn chairs, in horror as the experts put water on an electrical fire. When the water hit the fire, the sky lite up orange, as the fire grew. Phelan says, "Maybe we should tell them it's an electrical fire." "Maybe" I returned.

"Do you think these city boys are afraid there are snakes in the woods & that is why they don't go in there." I asked. Phelan, "Maybe, they aren't use to woods. They are confused."

The fire exploded into an array of colors, "Did you see how orange it was?" I asked my dear daughter. Her response was, "Well blue is the hottest & orange is the hoterless." "What!" "What did you say." "I think you my daughter should teach the mechanics of fire. That was a beautiful description of how it all works." "Hoterless, yea, ok, I'm sure you know what your saying."

Then the firemen started to walk over to us. "OH,OH, do you think they need our help" I asked. "You can tell them it's an electrical fire now." Phelan responded with, "Maybe they need to borrow the chain saw."

What they wanted was to know why I still had power. "Uh, I don't know?" He says, "It"s an electrical fire you know." "Uh, yea." I, also told him I enjoyed watching the light show when he put water on it. He says, "Oh, you like that do you." I thought he'd take a hint - you know, water, electrical. But, no, he didn't seem to get it at first. Finally, he says we can't reach it with our chemicals. "Ohhhh, he does know it's chemical, ohhhh."

Phelan & I grew bored. With the storm over she took off home. Out by bedroom window, I could see the fire & every once in a while, you could see the light show when the firemen put water on the electrical fire. About, four hours later I looked out & saw the pole all lite up with the lites of a bigger truck & foam flying up to the top of the pole & down. When it cleared, there it was, the fire, still raging. They did it again & again the fire. I went to sleep confident in the local fire department. When I woke, success, no more fire.

But, my phone rang. It was Phelan, while at my house the night before, a strong wind came thorough her property & destroyed quite a bit of stuff. The trampoline is gone as well as the trough. The fence around her cellar exploded & there is a corner post impeded in the side of her home. Everyone is ok. But, a lot of clean up. She is hoping to be back on line with you all soon.

Please remember, that the "orange in a fire is the hoterless."