Yesterday we didn't get the massive rain or snow they experienced in California, but we did have sustained winds of 35 MPH and gusts up to 51 MPH. We had no damage or power outages, but ...
It seems that all the tumbleweeds between us and the Snake River decided to camp out in our yard and pasture. We have one tree line where it looks like they must be piled 15' high. The wind has shifted directions and is now coming out of the north, but apparently they like it here. I drove my truck out and parked it in a different spot, but the tumbleweeds appear to have taken up residence. I'm not sure how I'm going to get rid of them. We're supposed to get the rain and snow from the west coast today and tomorrow - look out you guys back east - it's coming your way.
Being an eastern tenderfoot I have to ask, how do you get rid of them? Perhaps rent a chipper and make small pieces out of them or haul them to a safe spot & burn them? It looks like a real job.
Don: there are no 'safe spots' on this side of the Rockys ..the best way is to put them in the back of the truck and take them somewhere...wish them God Speed and set them free
Don: we are burning them in a clear spot in our driveway. There is no way we could haul them off. We probably have at least an acre of tumbleweeds, and in some spots they are at least 15' deep (or high). Yesterday the wind blew too hard to burn, and this morning we had about an inch of snow. While it was still cold I swatted them with a rake and shook the snow off and then Marilyn kept them raked into the fire. We burned for over an hour and finally got the driveway clear. We tried again this afternoon, but the snow had melted and they were too wet to burn. I have a wood chipper, but it is buried under tumbleweeds. I wouldn't use it on them anyway, it is easier to burn them. We have a canal at the southern boundary of our property and during the winter it fills with tumbleweeds. They come through with a weed burner each spring before turning on the water and have these huge roaring fires. However, in 50 years of living here I have never seen them in the yard like this before.
I'll set up a PayPal account and sell them on eBay. That way Col. Milt can boycott my tumbleweed sale. The buyers in Malysia, Japan and France should go crazy, however.
OK, this is the end of the tumbleweed saga. We've got everything cleared except the lane into the pasture, but take a look at the pile that remains along a tree line next to the pasture fence. I'm just hoping that the wind will blow very hard from the north and move them back into the open fields behind us.
..the best way is to put them in the back of the truck and take them somewhere...wish them God Speed and set them free 
