181
181, that's the confirmed number of deaths in the fires still burning through Victoria.
181 and counting----counting because they are just getting back into some devastated areas and they know that they will find more
They are talking about 100 more
All of these people
Our papers are full of stories
Stories of death, stories of survival
All of these people
Old, young, children, teenagers
But one story made me cry
Nothing to do with people
It was just an observation by a journalist that really didn't seem so important to him---it just added to the descriptiveness of his story-----but it hit me like a brick
The author wrote that as he drove past, there was a herd of cattle in a paddock and they were on fire.
There it was---no horror, no sorrow, just they were on fire
We all have an understanding of how to survive, how to escape, where to run to and we do the best that we can.
But there were these animals, locked in a paddock, with no comprehension of the danger or ferocity of fire, no way to escape and they just burned with a magnificent epitaph-----"They were on fire"
They have my tears
I got some great news today
I have been trying to contact a horse stud in Victoria for four days----it is located in the fire zone-----no one would answer a phone----maybe no one could.
But today they answered
They had been out doing their bit----helping neighbours, relocating horses, fighting fires, but their property was safe.
Their property and my little mare.
I feared that she had gone like that herd of cattle.
I guess that is in some way selfish---with the loss of all of this human life, I was worried about a horse-----all I could think of was her on fire and I had sent her there---- 
Swirls of nonsense mixed with nuggets of absurdity
-
I guess maybe when I dance in a beam of sun I COULD be construed as crazy.
But maybe YOU are crazy because you don't.
What do we miss each day as we speed t...
7 years ago
16 comments:
That's touching,not selfish. I too was very touched to hear about the poor cattle on fire. Animals are always innocent and at the mercy of people. People are not on both counts.
Clyde, your horse was/is a part of your life and compassion for her is a good thing. Not selfish at all.
The images I've seen of all that is going there...
I heard a man talk of the WW-II holocaust. He tried to describe it but...then said.
How do you describe something so horrific. How do you describe all that they went through.
My words could not give it justice. I am incapable of it. There are no words in literature to describe such a thing.
But I will try...
I can't describe how badly I feel for those that have lost their live, their loved ones, their homes...
ciao clyde.
Uber
It was a shocker just hearing about those cattle---but the matter of fact way it was added to the story was very sad
Fanny
Yep, I guess that I did chase friends up early on before I even thought of my mare.
And I did make sure that I donated everything that I could to assist the people.
I suppose I just feel responsible for my horse
Miss Jones
I dont think that your words have to do anything justice
Just to know that people all over the world are thinking of them is enough.
Funny that it is events like this that brings the people of the world closer together.
I guess we are all brothers and sisters---hmmmm----I have had some unbrotherly thoughts about you little sister
Yeah, it's terrible to think of the cattle on fire... and I don't think it was as simple as that. I guess he couldn't have described what they were doing (I don't think they'd have been standing still, for one!).
It's wonderful that you have a mare.
So few people think of the animals during a disaster.
Very sad. :(
Eve
Glad to see you
Having worked with a herd of milking cattle, I would quite believe that they would just stand there----amazingly accepting animals.
I have actually given my mare to a breeding stud on a breeding agreement----she is theirs for three years and I get the 4th foal if I want it
Cheeks
It's bloody hard not to think of them.
People think that koalas are sweet and cuddly but in the wild they will claw and bite if you try to touch them.
Yet in these fires and in the extreme heat that we have had, they are approaching people and taking hand feeding and drinks
We have family in Albury, NSW. They have relayed back the general feelings of sorrow felt by Australians, and the sheer horror of seeing so many needless deaths.
I'm glad your wee beastie is safe and well. Make sure you stay the same way pal.
Jimmy
I guess we could give thanks that we arent under 3 feet of snow.
Nothing a wee dram or twa cannae fix
Of course you worry about her, she's yours.
Clyde, I can not quit thinking how horrible that must of been to see those cows. That is terrible, thank goodness your horse is ok.
:-( thats heartbreaking. I have such a soft spot for animals. In movies I'd much rather see I human get blown away vs a animal. Does that make me sick? ;-)
Bunny
Its funny----I've basically given her away but I still feel responsible for her--I bred her---I was there when she was born.
But I sent her to this place.
Emily
I cant help but think of the horror--I dont know what I would do if I saw it
But the report in the paper was just so matter of fact.
Jade
That makes you real---that makes you feeling.
I get wrapped in the story of a movie but when I comes to an animal being hurt, I cant help but think---did they really have to do that---I hope it wasnt really hurt,
I hate seeing horses go down in movies
Those cows would have stampeded, the 'lucky' ones would have gone down in the herd. I only hope they asphyxiated before the fire got to them. It sounds cruel, but its better than being burnt alive.
The story about the Koala moved me to tears.
I'm glad your horse is safe. But I have to ask - why is she all the way out there? For breeding?
Phish
THey say in the heat of a fire like that, that you are asphyxiated very quickly----we only hope.
Yes, my girl has a regular boyfriend now----so she will live out her life as a herd animal having babies
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