Ever since I was a kid, I've always enjoyed playing with fire. Never really done much damamge, though once I almost burnt down the back field. Not one for destroying things, but I certainly enjoy burning trash. I sit back and think back to the days when I was a little kid, poking things in the burn barrel. Or burning all my plastic toys when I came to age (something my friends assure is purty normal in the country). That was fun.

Watching plastic melt and burn can fascinate me for hours, even as an adult. There is soemthing about watching the thick black smoke curl on up. I know all about dioxin and all the environmental problems that mass-burn incinerators pose, but I still enjoy watching things burn after all these years. I have to disagree with the environmental advocates on this one.

I sometimes feel so silly about my love of fire. Yet, then I look around at all the neighboors burn barrels, and I come to realize that I'm not alone for my passion for burning things. After all, if there wasn't such an enjoyment for fire, who would join rural fire departments?

I don't know. It's just an issue of individual autonomy, one of living out in the country. Burning things can be pretty useful, and can greatly reduce what ends up going to garbage dump. It's not the end of the world, despite what Vermont law might claim. I guess if they ban it in New York, it's out west for me, where it will never be illegal.