I don't envy the fire crews this year.

A month back my nephew and I were practicing firecraft in the desert north of Phoenix. The dry grass we used for tinder went up like gasoline, and sticks burned in minutes. Everything burned so quickly that I'm not sure the two of us could have gathered fuel fast enough to keep the fire going.

It was scary how easily everything burned. We had picked the rock bed of an arroyo for our experiment, but I found myself wondering if the 10 feet between our fire and nearest plant was enough. We didn't leave until I could squeeze the ashes in my hand, and I used some of my drinking water on the ashes to be sure. I don't want to end up on the evening news, and I really don't want the firefighting bill.