Yi-pi-yi-ay, Yi-pi-yi-o
Rubbed against something the wrong way during the night or something…the area of my back near the shoulder blades has a pesky itch that could only be purged by a nice scalding shower.
It has me wondering what would come through that spot on my skin.. wings? How huge a span would I need to get off of the ground? I figure it’d have to be at least 45 feet or something… I’m over 6 feet tall and my bones are hardly hollow.
Somehow, I’d be more likely to expect Zim/Otto Octavious-style manipulators and extensor-legs.
It’s going to be tricky, avoiding all the chocolate next week.
Doing my annual viewing of the Ten Commandments, some of the best scenes (snake-staff, for one) were interrupted by news of Miami fires, possibly deliberately set. I hope no one was hurt, or lost homes as a result of those. I really think that they could’ve picked a better-named spokeswoman for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue than Vicki Burns. There was a haze off in the distance, but I couldn’t smell smoke from here.
Back to the movie… When I was a boy, I thought that the Hebrews leaving behind Moses should have had elephants, for some reason. Horses in Egypt always struck me as odd; I figured that they’d just use camels for everything, or oxen to pull the bigger things. I wonder now what camel meat tastes like… man eats ox all the time, and horse now and then… is camel considered a domestic food?
MIAMI — A brush fire lapped up against backyard fences in southwest Miami-Dade County, damaging two houses and forcing firefighters to evacuate a neighborhood under a heavy cloud of smoke.
The fire, though much smaller than one that had consumed 3,300 acres on the edge of the Everglades, forced the evacuation of an area four streets wide and five avenues long, said Vicki Burns, a spokeswoman for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. She did not know how many houses were in the suburban area, but television sources said about 150 homes were threatened.
Two houses caught fire — one had siding damage and another was more severely burned, but both were still livable, Burns said.
Television footage showed the fire igniting fences and coming within several feet of a row of houses along Bird Road and 157th Avenue. Electricity had been cut to the neighborhood, Burns said.
Officials also urged residents to turn off their air conditioning systems and close all windows to prevent smoke inhalation.
Meanwhile, a 300-acre brush fire near Jacksonville caused officials to close part of Interstate 95 in northeast Florida and officials said a 2,300 wildfire in central Florida was 60 percent contained and did not threaten any structures.
The fire near the Everglades, which had caused a massive smoke plume that had dropped ash like a light snowfall over much of the county days earlier, was 75 percent contained on Sunday. Firefighters said they expected to have it completely contained within a day.
That fire was being brought under control with backfires and heavy equipment, including bulldozers, said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Eugene Germain.
Near the Everglades fire, the mandatory evacuation of Jones Fish Camp, where 150-200 people lived, was lifted Sunday and all roads remained open, Germain said. No one was injured and no buildings were damaged.
“That’s a testament to the aggressive and professional work of our firefighters on the scene,” Germain said.
The cause of the fire could not be determined until it was extinguished, he said.
In southwest Lake County, firefighters battled a 2,300-acre fire, starving it by land with bulldozers and blanketing the area with water drops from helicopters. There were no injuries or reports of damage.
Dave Fogler, Lake County area supervisor for the state Division of Forestry, said Sunday the fire was 60 percent contained.
“There’s still some hot spots near the line that could spot out and take off again,” he said.
In Jacksonville, a fast spreading brush fire consumed about 300 acres in a heavily wooded area with about 200 homes.
The blaze had threatened about 10 homes earlier in the afternoon, but did not threaten any structures in the evening, said Jacksonville fire department spokeswoman Bennie Seth. She said St. Johns Greyhound Park had voluntarily evacuated.
A stretch of the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 was shut down, she said.
Firefighters believe the blaze was intentionally set, Seth said.
Spring is the traditional wildfire season for much of Florida. 
Hazy horizons
Smoke from a brush fire burning on the edge of the Florida Everglades in northwest Miami-Dade County is seen at sunset from North Bay Village, Saturday. Buildings on the horizon are located in northeast Miami.
Well, it’s off to the monthly recap Monday morning. Wish me good luck, and happy travels, dear journal.
