OK, this post is to appease Soma’s sense of irony. When he is in New Vrindaban he stays at Varsana’s who has a space going out from the temple past the Palace. He had walked down to the temple to use the Laundromat and was returning via the lake path.

There he came upon us in indulging in an exercise in futility. Us being Sakya Rasa and myself who were trying to burn a brush pile.

I have being going out with Raghu on Saturday’s for a few hours doing some silviculture. Sakya Rasa had stopped by the week before and volunteered to come out and run the chainsaw. Raghu was out of town this weekend so I brought out my saw for Sakya to use. I lack the juice to handle it.

Our first order of business was to burn the brush pile from the week before as that had not been taken care of. If you don’t keep up with it the pile gets too big. We have been taking it out by the lake where they shoot off fireworks and having bonfires there.

Unfortunately, I had made an error in judgment. Most of what we will be thinning out is pine, and that has resinous needles that aid in ignition. However we had been working on the State Road side of the temple and it was all deciduous trees there.

We were cutting the weed trees off the Sweet Gums and thinning them out so they have a chance to grow to be large estate trees. They will be magnificent specimens in 100 years, completely shading the brick temple road they are planted along.

The problem is the timing, and I just didn’t do the necessary cognitive thought to realize that a leafless tree this time of year will be loaded with water from the rising sap. In a month or so the cut branches will dry out but for now it was like burning water.

We tried all sorts of techniques and failed consistently. I won’t bore you with the details. It was a strategic error, and no amount of tactical maneuvering was able to right it. Of course, I could go the hardcore route and throw some old tires on it and set them ablaze. That would work, but it makes smelly smoke and I don’t like doing it. Turns a fun bonfire into more like a work austerity.

In the middle of this blow to my false ego, Soma strolled by toting his clean laundry and told me he expected to read about it in my blog today so here it is.