Lawnmowers of the Southwest

The Southwest is in flames. I can see plumes of smoke just on the other side of the mountains from the Pacheco fire and whenever the winds change, the smoke from the Wallow fire in Arizona floats into Santa Fe. It has led all of us in the neighborhood to be very aware of the dry grasses in our yards that present a fire hazard. Many of us have called in the "horned locusts," a herd of 200 goats led by Dave of Sunstar Herbs and his daughter Amanita. It took the goats only about 4 hours to clear my acre and a half.

The goats travel with three Maremma sheepdogs. This is the one that tried to herd Tulip and me on the road the other day. I kept yelling, "I'm not a goat! I'm not a goat!" until Amanita appeared to rescue us.

For a Chicago girl, this has all been quite an education.