Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

Dec. 8 – wed.
“Fussing” in studio most of day – old jobs around yard – Fix bouquets for Martha, Sally, & our dining room.
Evening – M. A. call from Bristol again. She is going to try and get transferred to Navy inspection (a firm in W. S. has a navy contract) or if possible to get a civilian job in W. S. we told her to come home for Christmas at any cost.
Jan. 19, 1944 – (Wed.)
On an errand to the post-office, a grass-fire by the railroad south of the Clinton viaduct attracted me, and I walked down to look at it.
Since sometime before Christmas there has been almost no snow – and very little rain. Occasionally, snow flurries, sparse as in April, never enough to remain on the ground. Mostly the sun has shone every day, altho it has been cold. Today, however the temperature rose to above 40°, and all morning the sun shone warmly. Before I had started out, thick mists began to gather in the west, and now the sun had disappeared. But the sky still had a luminous sunshiny look to it.
It was pleasant to stand near the ragged line of flame and feel its welcome heat, and inhale its racy pungent odors, and listen to the sharp crackle of burning weeds. There was none of the ecstatic feeling of a grass fire in March, however in fact, this snowless, sunny January is like no season