I didn’t realize it has been so long since I posted a blog. Summer has gotten busy with things around The Grove and garden. It’s been hot and dry here in So. Oregon, and for the last week or so, we’ve been dealing with being surrounded by several large wild fires. If you’ve been following our Facebook page, you’ve heard and seen about these fires.

This isn’t unusual for Oregon in the summer, as summer here, especially in southern Oregon is very dry. But this year we’ve had an unusual drought and it’s been hot very early. Our July weather is what we usually see in August. The dry lightning produced by a thunder storm toward the end of July sparked 54 fires in our area. Some were quickly contained, others grew together to create large wild fires. So far, we’ve seen approximately 40,000 acres of forest within a 20 mile radius of us go up in smoke. Continue reading →