BACK ON ALL FOURS

We returned to Wichita Mountains NWR on Tuesday, April 5. Virginia's knee surgery on April 11 in Oklahoma City to reattach her ACL and repair the damaged meniscus went well. They kept her overnight to make sure there were no blood clots this time. She is getting around pretty good on her crutches and leg brace. She seems to be recovering fast with the help of three times a week physical therapy. Kurt is keeping busy driving the invalid around.

To help add to the drama, Wichita Mountains was in the midst of a wildfire accidently set by Fort Sill practice bombs the day we returned from surgery. We had a couple days of strong south winds that blew straight at the headquarters, village and RV pads. We hitched up the truck and we were anticipating evacuation. Fortunately the winds switched as the fire bore down to within a mile of us. They brought in helicopters and fire crews from all over the country to battle it. The fire is now out, but the whole state of Oklahoma is on standby, since there has been no significant rain in six months. The long dry grass is just a fire waiting to happen.