It's Raining, It's Pouring!

I am so happy to hear that it has been raining all week in my hometown! This is news that warms my heart, but also helps me sleep a little better at night. Things have been miserably dry there....desperately dry. When we were in Cloudcroft a few weeks ago, I was astonished at how dead and yellow everything looked. I have seen dry...the last few years, the forest service has been forced to shut down the forest due to fire concerns. However, the rainy season usually kicks in and things get better...that usually happens early on in the spring or summer....not June. No snow this winter, and virtually no rain this spring made for a dire situation. There was talk they would close off all traffic and allow only residents to come up the mountain...hello, Cloudcroft is a tourist town....how are people supposed to survive?

This sign was posted near our cabin....it made me laugh when I first saw it...do we really need the visual of a dial hitting its peak to show us how dangerous things are?




Then I saw a stupid Texan (sorry, I keep forgetting what my license plate says) lighting up a cigarette outside! Duh! Not only was this highly illegal and posing of a huge fine, but he could have blown the whole mountain up. One spark, and POOF my family's legacy is gone!

I noticed a huge box in the back of my sister's car and jokingly questioned whether she was planning a move. I was saddened when she told me it contained her emergency list of "grab ems". "Grab ems", you see, are those precious goods you grab when you have to make a quick evacuation. Beyond your kids and pets, your grab ems are the things you want to save in an emergency...pictures, heirlooms, teddy bears.

I was so happy to see a good down pour the last day we were there....even the trees were smiling when the hail covered the forest floor!


I am happy to report that the rains came....and for the last week it has rained on a daily basis! The forest is open and that box.....has been removed from my sister's car and is back in the house.