Dear Friends,

We are now in "summer"--hot and dry. We walk to the stream to bathe and wash our laundry to conserve water. We will not likely get any rain until June. Last week most of our physical work was cutting firewood and gathering and putting down mulch for plants near the house.

Saturday morning we finished up the mulch project with great satisfaction and moved on to our usual Saturday chores. It fell to me to burn the trash. There was a little more than usual. I lit the fire and returned to the house for other chores. Then we heard the crackling! The fire had escaped from the burning pit and was rapidly spreading in all directions!

We could control the line towards the buildings (using water, shovel, and hoe), but the strong wind took the flames up the mountain fast.

We used the path as a firebreak to the south. Just cut some of the vegetation and used the hoe to clean pine needles off the path. A little water here and there--about 60 yards.

Prairie continued to cook, while also fighting the fire in the parts closest to the house.

One arm of the fire went down the slope to the north. Very steep terrain. Curved around back up hill and threatened the sanitario from the west. We got that taken care of--for a while. Then it was back from the west again. Yet a third time the sanitario was threatened, now from the north.

When Mateo built the structures of the monastery, he left the branches of the pine trees and the useless upper trunks lying on the ground. There is one to the north, two to the south, one each to east and west. They gather leaves, etc.--lots of fuel.

The path fireline became too long from the house to continue. The terrain just below it is very steep, so the risk of the firefighter (me) being cut off from the house was genuine. We abandoned that fire line about the time of the second fire approach to the sanitario.

The fire crossed the path and began back towards the house. The breeze stiff.

This fire is what foresters call a "cool" fire. Even though we live in a forest, it is a grass fire, a brush fire. The large trees are not much involved.

As the fire to the north of the house moved further east than the sanitario, it approached our terrace line to the north (and the large fuel supply of the downed pine). And the fire to the south was returning fast, even lighting up trees as tall as 20 feet.

It was time to leave before the escape route was cut off. We quickly packed backpacks and left, leaving the house in God's hands. Down the path, through the garden to the stream. We rested, ate our lunch and did afternoon prayers (with our feet in the cool water--it was lovely).

Prairie went up the path once to scout the fire. She could see the roof; the house was still standing, but seemed to be completely surrounded by fire.

We walked in the stream to the road. We had our boots, so that worked well--good protection from the rocks. It was often too deep for boots. No problem, more cooling water for the feet (I call this water socks).

We walked to the highway and hitched a ride to Limoncito, to Mateo's house. Marguerita and Delmi (their oldest daughter) made us welcome. They had seen the smoke and had been concerned. We missed Mateo on the way (the stream route, remember) as he had gone to LaFortuna to take out some lumber.

Soon their older son arrived with their second truck. A few neighbor men, the sons, Delmi, Prairie and I piled in to see what we could see and to save what we could save.

The truck bucked and heaved. When we were just a little over halfway there, he pulled off and we left the truck. The men and boys want ahead (machetes in hand) while we women followed, Delmi carrying my backpack.

The fire had passed. The house and sanitario were unscathed--completely unscathed! The fire had completly surrounded them, in places coming to within a yard of the pine structure. But not even a scorch mark. Truly a miracle!

The firewood and mulch were all burned. We store firewood under the water tank. It had burned and the heat damaged the tank; water was till draining out, uncontrolled.

There were still pockets of flame (even just to the east of the house where the building debris had been). We decided not to sleep here that night and returned to Mateo's house. There had been some stiff winds in the night lately. Another long walk to the truck, then ride.

Marguerita fed us and we were given a place to sleep. We were so grateful.

Sunday morning, we had our sunrise prayers under their bougainvillea arbor. We were ready to return home.

Mateo cut some bougainvillea branches for us to plant. Marguerita gave us two liters of fresh milk and a stalk of platanos. Mateo gave us a ride as he was on his way to plant coconut trees on his property near the monastery. He gave us one of the sprouted coconuts to plant. For everything, there is a season, and after a fire and destruction, it is time to plant.

Mateo looked over the tank. He can't guarantee that any repair would last, but he is willing to try.

There was still water. We drained it into every bucket, pan, jug and bottle that we had. It is a long way down to the stream. We planted the bougainvillea in the planting holes that the fire had cleared of jackbeans and tomatoes and in two other spots where an arbor might be nice. They have a reputation of having a low percent of taking, so planting more than you want is highly recommended. It was not the very restful day of rest that we might have liked.

Monday morning we went to town as usual (so grateful that our legs could still carry us). No work in the clinic--national holiday, April 14, Day of the Americas. That meant no mail either. Did one doctor visit for a kid with a huge spleen on the porch of the clinic (probably complicated malaria), but had no medicine to give him. We visited friends.

When we returned to the monastery, we could see that Mateo had repaired the tank. We were so grateful.

Tuesday, it rained. Wednesday, it rained. Not lots, but we now have water in our tank. We are very grateful. Remember, it is unseasonal rain!!

Wednesday we visited the garden. We lost the cantaloupe, jackbeans, passionfruit vine and one pineapple. The rest is all fine. Remember that the majority of the pineapples, bananas and platanos, fruit trees and pigeon peas are in the garden area. We are very grateful.

Near the house, we lost the coconuts, tomatoes, platanos, baby orange tree, compost pile, lime tree (ready to bear this year, sigh), pineapples, pigeon peas and chaya. We still have lemon grass. It looks as though some of the chaya may come back and one friends tell us that the coconuts could come back. We gratefully planted the new coconut in a planting hole that the fire had emptied for us.

Wednesday, we also went to cut wood. One has to eat, after all. A trunk that we had cut down last week was still there, ready to be carried home. So we carried it home.

While I was gone, Prairie and Autumn had constructed a "rocket stove"--a small stove used by campers, made with a large dried milk can and soda cans. We have been very grateful to have it as we can cook a one-dish meal with very little fuel. Very helpful when cooking wood is in short supply. I am very grateful.

I really like miracles. They are just about my favorite. I am very grateful.

be well,

beth