So, I'm panicking, stamping out the flames in Joey's boots...(quick visual, I'm 5'5", he's 6'2", I had a lovely camouflage pair of hunting boots up to my knees trying to stamp out the inferno, Nicklaus in all his glory hitting the flames with a boot, not wearing the boot, just hitting with it and Noni carrying sand buckets with about 3 teaspoons of water in them and Nathan just running around having a hi-ho time. The next door neighbor was coming home and he helped put the rest out. I didn't want to call the fire department (it's a volunteer one) if I could help it. Can't they fine you for stupidity? Oh yeah...halfway through out mad boot stamping dance, Nicklaus says, "Mom, grab the shovel and stamp it out, that what Dad does." Derrrr....I am such a bright individual, yes? Joey's comment? "You mean you left something burning in our yard and went back inside? That's like handing Nicklaus his gun and saying "Go Have Fun Son!!" All told I burned an acre or more. See those trees in the distance in one or two of the pics? Yep, it burned to there.The positive side? Our grass should come back really pretty and green, I met our next door neighbor, and I did get to sing, "Standing outside the fire... Standing outside the fire ...Life is not tried, it is merely survived... If you're standing outside the fire" since I felt like I was in a Garth Brooks' video.

***And yes I do find it rather odd that I grabbed my camera to take pictures before donning my firefighter persona...but hey....that's just one of the little quirks that makes me MomIsNutz****