The problem with designing something completely foolproof...

... is underestimating the ingenuity of complete fools.

Another blogger who is a near-and-dear friend quoted (actually slightly misquoted me) on his blog. And while I'd love to take credit for such an eloquent colloquialism, but that is actually a paraphrase from the late, great Douglass Adams (RIP).

Yesterday was a beautiful day. There was a slight breeze, though there were gusts up to 20 or so mph. The sky was virtually cloudless and Mother Nature was adorned in her best Fall finery, displaying colors from brown to amber to straw.

And tards (not retards, that would be TOO good for them) ruin it by deciding today of all frackin' days would be a great day to burn trash. Did I mention the 20 or so mph gusts? How many of you have ever seen a grass fire, not a brush fire or forest fire -- a grass fire, produce head-high flames?

And not once, but twice....

Tards....

I got a compliment from someone I've known for ages and to whom I've always looked up to as one tough SOB. The first fire was started by his neighbor and headed towards his house when I got there. I pull the pre-connect off of the tanker (the brush truck was already there and engaged elsewhere) and tried to head the fire off at the pass. I'm by myself and this person (a civilian) helps me pull hose. As he tells it later, at one point the smoke got so thick that he said screw it and took off. He turned around and I'm still out in the middle of it holding my ground. Thanks CW, those words meant more than you'll ever know...