Inklings told me she was not going to write about this incident and that I needed to do it since it was part of my experience doing the fire rehabilitation. It is really hard for me to write these things down but I decided she was right SO HERE GOES.
While I was doing the rehabilitation on the fires I had one of the straw brokers grand kids come out to visit over the weekend with his dad who was operating one of the straw handlers. He was a cute little four year old that wanted to hang out in the building where I did all of my paper work and filing. I also ate my lunches in there because I had a propane heater in there to keep it a little warmer.
He sat across the table while I was eating. I usually have crackers, a lunch meat, cut some slices of cheese and maybe some potato chips. When I do this I usually take extra sharp cheese because it tastes pretty good when you are working out during cold weather. He told me he really liked cheese so I cut him a slice and gave it to him along with some sliced ham and a cracker. I told him the cheese would bite him back but he would like it if he ate enough of it.
He took a couple of bites and pulled a face each time. His dad came in and he told him it was nasty so his dad told him to throw it in the trash. Which he did. A little while later he asked for some more so I gave him another slice with some more sliced ham and crackers which he ate. I also gave him and his brother a snack pack pudding which they both ate. I really got a kick out of seeing him gobble down the sharp cheese and ham slices after he got cold. He told me he really liked both of them.
The next day he came in while I was eating lunch and sat down and ate with me. I was having the same thing and he asked for some so I gave him crackers several slices of ham and cheese and he ate it right along with me. I'm telling you sharp cheese does taste a lot better when you are cold and hungry.
He left to go play with his brother and another boy that was visiting the project with their families. There is a small stream that runs by the property. About an hour later one of the straw handler operators told me he had heard a child yelling for help and had got off his machine to investigate. He told me he had found this little boy in the creek above his waist hanging onto a tree branch and screaming for help. They had taken him into a camp trailer and changed him into dry clothes but couldn't get him to stop shivering (which is a sign of the later stages of hypothermia). His dad started their truck and got it warmed up and took the little guy home to give him a warm bath. That worked and the kid is fine.
We were sooooooo lucky that the guy on the handler heard him screaming for help. Even if the boy hadn't drowned hypothermia would have taken him in just a little more time. This incident scares the crap outta me. It reminded me how fast tragedy can strike.
I AM VERY THANKFUL THAT THE TRAGEDY WAS AVOIDED!!!
