What’s that noise?

I thought I heard popcorn popping outside of my window and my mouth began to water in anticipation of a salty little treat that the nuns might let me steal a little bit of. When I looked out of the window to see which nun was preparing the treat, I saw that it was merely the field next door burning. It caught fire from a mixture of the intense heat, sunshine and dryness of the vegetation. My heart sank. Imagine my dismay.

The next thing we know, the sound intensifies, as does the fire and ash is flying all over the afternoon sky. The ash is blowing in through our second floor screen windows, and all I can do is think, “Damn, the laundry is still on the line, we probably have to rewash that after the ash gets to it.” Hmph. The hour and a half that we spent doing laundry by hand today may have been in vain. I HATE DOING LAUNDRY BY HAND.