Baby Bib Give Away!!!!!

Isn’t she cute?  8 months old and LOVING food.  Especially MANGOS.  I have no idea why.  But seriously, you’ve never seen a baby so excited about any one particular fruit.  It’s funny!

And because she needed bibs, I decided to make a FEW bibs.  So, I pulled out the fabric that I had (much of it donated or yard saled) and started cutting out.  And, as I tend to like to cut out a bunch of anything at one time and then spend weeks sewing… well, I cut out a few.  Just a few.  Like as in enough for 35.

My idea was to send bibs to people that I know who have or are about to have little babies and would be able to use and appreciate bibs.  Part of my “Pay it Forward for the rest of my life” plan.  So, about half of these are already spoken for.  The rest I planned on putting in my stash to use as baby gifts to people I know or don’t know in the future.

The pattern I used was the Bapron bib pattern that is currently for sale for $6 at Craftiness is not Optional blog.  I saved the pattern a couple of years back when she still had it up on her blog for free.  Even at her current price – it is a good price!

I also made ALL of the bias tape used in all of the bibs.  First, you should know that each bib needs about 2 1/2 yards of bias tape.  Each.   Yes, you did the math correctly.  That is over 80 YARDS of bias tape that I made by hand.  80.  Yards.  I got the fancy Clover Bias Tape Maker and bought flannel fabric…. and realized that flannel doesn’t work in bias tape makers.  So, 2 yards of flannel had to be ironed into tape.  By. Hand.  Sigh.  At over $2 for a 4 yard packet of less than wonderful store bought stuff in boring colors… I got 20 yards or more from each yard of fabric that I bought for $5.  So, I saved a bit of money ($5 vs $10 for store bought) but it is MUCH prettier!   And really – not that hard!  It was almost fun all of the ironing while listening to NPR (which is what I do most of the time when I sew).

I bought normal fabric for the edges and really, small print is best.  The browns and purple came from Walmart of all places (about our only local option and I wasn’t going into the city any time soon) but worked up really well and was a surprisingly nicer weight fabric.  But, because my brain is a bit slow on baby sleep, I had to resort to on-line tutorials to figure out how to make the tape.  To get the most tape out of a yard of fabric, I used this tutorial at Whipstitch Fabrics to cut the fabric on an angle and then sew it to the other side – so the entire yard of fabric can be cut into strips on the bias.  But, they then wanted it to be cut all in one long strip and honestly, drawing lines on the fabric and then pinning and then cutting – blah… too much!  So, after I got my yard cut and re-sewn the right way, then I switched over to Dana Made It and used her tutorial on how to cut the strips and then sew the strips together once they’re all skinny.  For me – much easier!  Plus, Dana has a fab description of what bias tape is and the different types of makers and sizes and… good basic info!

As I was sitting in my little space sewing, I was thinking about the year past in this house of ours.  You see, this past weekend was our 1 year anniversary to move into the house.  It wasn’t done (still not entirely finished – still no steps out the back doors and some trim still needs to be painted) but it was time and I was hugely pregnant and not fitting so well into the RV any more and…  We were so relieved to be back into a real house.  We still are.  And we are so grateful to the huge number of people that helped us get back to this state of “normal”… Part of my  “Pay it Forward” campaign is to have give aways just because.  To share the love with people that I don’t know just as people that didn’t know us helped me helped during my time of disaster.

So, I am giving away these two bibs.  (Above and below pictures – they are the front and back shots.)  Both gender neutral so good for little boys or girls.

To enter, please comment below, be sure to include your email address.   Please tell us what random act of kindness you’ve done recently.  Big or small doesn’t matter…

Like me on Facebook at Life on the Clothesline  and then leave a comment on the contest post on FB for an extra entry.   If you already follow me on FB, please leave a comment on that post, too.

Contest closes May 19 at midnight.  That’s two weeks.  Please tell your friends and share the love.  More importantly, be kind to each other and help when you can.  Even if you never hear the words “thank you”  it doesn’t mean that your actions didn’t matter.   Thanks to you all…

Pictures of our new “home”

So, about 2 weeks after evacuating, we bought and moved into an RV.  At the time, we thought that insurance was slow in getting us the money for the RV, but since then we realize that we had very unrealistic expectations and that USAA moved exceptionally fast.  Thank heavens for the displaced housing allowance!

And, I had thought of waiting to take pictures until we were unpacked all of the way and it was pretty and perfect but… whatever.  It is what it is and if you don’t like it, look away now. 

This is the RV at my friend Katie’s house.  We will owe Katie and her family for the rest of our lives – they’ve proven to be really great friends.   That said, for a hermit family that we are well…

We moved back to our property a month ago.  Russ and his friend Chet worked so much on the property, getting the dead trees cleared, the foundation removed (it was crumbling – the fire was that hot and the county is not allowing re-construction on burned foundations anyways) and base material/gravel trucked in to allow for driving on the sand.

We added the car port to have a living area outside of the RV and that can be used later for something crazy like parking a car under.  The picnic table and chairs were donated at our fire shower and we use them ALL of the time.

We discovered that our sand is at most 6 feet deep, though have heard that in other areas the sand is around 20 feet deep.  It is this deep sand that allows the pine trees to survive here.  It is otherwise too dry and the trees go away when you’re not on this soil type in this area.

Though, you can see here that it has finally rained a little in the past month.  We’re still painfully far behind but… And, thanks to my pal Lynnette who helped us put in the sidewalk!

This is our new bird feeder and bath… the black thing on the post is a bit of metal to keep the squirrels out (it really does work, though right now, there’s not many squirrels to worry about anyways).  The birds are slowly coming back and my feeding station is a popular place.

The RV is a 2 bedroom (who knew, right?) so Rosie has her own room.  If you collapse the table, you can technically sleep 4 in there, but as it stands, we use the top bunk for a dresser (shelf unit thing from Target), a play area with the table and storage for books and undies in the built in cabinet.

Russ’ mom made the slip covers for her table benches.  That’s her little pal Luke (son of Katie) playing with the cute doll house.

And her bed… we’ve since added a “tent” of fuzzy pink blanket that hangs down from the top bunk.  Apparently, her little room wasn’t little enough.  And, when I say that this is a little or tiny house, I am always corrected – this is a big house according to a 3 year old.   (“Real” houses are “giant”  just so you know.)   Apparently, tiny houses are for dolls.  How’s that for a bit of perspective?

The RV has a slide out, which for those of you who don’t have an RV, means that part of the side RV literally slides out about 4 feet, giving much more space on the inside.  It is the slide that allows us to be modestly comfortable and function on a long term basis.

The TV is pretty cool.  The RV came with the space but we had to add our own TV (it came with an anteanna) and the best part – it rotates!  We can watch it from the couch (also came with the RV and is a hide a bed just so you can shoe horn 2 more people into the RV) OR you can rotate the TV into the master bedroom and watch from the comfort of the bed.  In fact, after Rosie goes to bed at night, we usually go to bed ourselves and either watch something on Netflix or just go to sleep.  Yes, we’re old.

The living area more…

The tiny bathroom – a tub just big enough for a toddler!

The kitchen…

With a fridge maybe twice the size of a small dorm fridge, 3 burner stove and a tiny double sink.  Yes, I cook in here, no I have not yet used the tiny oven.  The white thing on the front of the counter (next to the little pink toy) is actually a Toddy coffee maker, cold brew, that you can buy on line.  One of the little splurges and great for lowering the acid in coffee …

The key to sanity in the RV and kitchen especially is small and collapsible.  As in strainers (really bulky otherwise) and measuring cups and… and a minimal amount of stuff.  The big red square is a dish drying mat I found at Bed Bath and Beyond for $5.  Works great and doesn’t take nearly the space as a RV dish drying rack – we put it on top of the stove while doing dishes.  As far as supplies… a skillet, a sauce pan and a stock pot and that’s it.  A couple of knives, set of 5 for silverware (kept in the red flower pots), 4 matching coffee cups from the grocery store…

And you know what?  We’re just fine!  Yes, the first month in here I ate a lot of frozen dinners but really, the small is making us eat what I cook, we’re wasting less food, eating fresher stuff (farmers market on Tuesdays) and it’s not that bad.  This would be hard to do if we weren’t forced into it – but now, well, it’s not so bad.  We’re very grateful to have our own space (again, a trait common of hermits) and to be this comfortable.

Speaking of – this is our bedroom looking in from the door.

And, looking from the head of the bed.

Closets are tiny, but considering that we don’t have that much, it’s OK.  And, as stuff comes in, I am constantly weeding out stuff I don’t like or doesn’t fit as well or… and taking it to the donation center for fire people.  I’ve only taken a couple of things from there actually.

So, not as bad as most people think – we’re actually kind of enjoying the RV.  It’s forcing us to stay minimal, to realize the needs verses the wants and to appreciate what we DO have.

Next post will be more on minimalism and other fun stuff that we’re learning the hard way!  Have a great week!

What To Say to a Disaster Person

So, you know someone who has been devastated by a death or illness or house burning down or…. the sky falls in various ways and inevitably, you will be faced with trying to find the “right” words to say to your friend.

What you say has an impact on your friend first of all.  Have no doubt, words to matter.  And saying the right words can help you help your friend, help you get in to deeper conversations (either immediately or later on) OR your words can shut the door.

A previous commenter on my How to Help – After the Disaster post asked how to say “good luck”… and I realized that it is a topic that really does need to be talked about.  I have gone through my share of sky falling events and inevitably, I get upset at what some people say to me – not because they are ill intentioned, but because what they do say jabs at the pain and doesn’t do anything to help ease it.

So, let’s talk about WHAT NOT TO SAY, shall we?

- It’s OK or It will all be OK.  Really?  How do you know?  Because for me (and this is all based on my recent wildfire experiences) NOTHING can make this OK.  You can’t bring my house back, you can’t make my little girl not scared of pictures of flames, you can’t do it.  THIS IS NOT OK.

-  It’s all part of God’s plan or It happened for a reason.  First off, please do not assume that I’m religious or that I am your version of religious.  (And trust me, now is NOT the time to try to convert me, either.)  Unless you happen to go to church or temple or the ashram or whatever with me, you most likely don’t have any idea what my religious beliefs are and have no way of knowing what my god thinks on this subject.  As far as a “reason” for this happening well… maybe not so much.  For me, the reason is that it is blasted dry here in Texas (worst drought in recorded history) and the electric line sparked it off and the winds were crazy bad and…

Along those lines, if you are lucky enough to have had your house spared, please don’t tell me that you “prayed and prayed and that’s why your house is OK”.  Seriously, it’s been told to a friend of mine and yes, it pissed her off.   Because by saying that, you insinuate that others didn’t pray enough or were somehow unworthy and they were subsequently punished by having their entire life’s worth of everything taken away from them.    And really, I don’t think that I’m that bad of a person – in fact, I think that I’m actually fairly decent and yet – yet my house is still gone.

-  I know how you feel.  Um, unless you’ve been in a similar situation, no you don’t.

-  You tell me your own horror story.  OK, so I get it, everyone goes through sky falling events eventually.  And, you’re right, your story is just as bad if not worse than mine – but right now, all I can do is barely deal with my own life.  Dealing with the horrors of yours is currently beyond any mental capacity that I might have left.  So, leave the “my life sucks worse than your life sucks” bit at home for now – K?

-  It could always be worse.  Yes, it could be worse, thank you for reminding me of that.  Without you telling me this, I would have never figured it out on my own.  In fact, that’s what Bill Cosby is for – to tell me that in a funny way (remember that?).   He said to “never challenge worse” – and so I haven’t.  I know that we could have not had any time to get anything (several friends were out of town the weekend of the fire and didn’t get anything out) or one of us could get really sick (cat has double pneumonia right now) or  or or … yes, I get it.  But it still sucks.

-  Don’t tell me how I am supposed to feel.  A lady I know, who also lost her house in the fire, she did that to me this week.  Really pissed me off.   She was all positive and “It’s God’s plan” and I can make this positive crap.  I’m not sure why she was telling me this because really, according to EVERYONE else that I know who also knows other fire people, I am supposed to be dealing with this better than anyone else they know.  (And yes, that surprised me more than anyone – I’m not normally known for my calm rational reactions, more of a very emotional girl actually.)

The bottom line on this one – MY FEELINGS ARE VALID.  By telling me that I should “look on the bright side” and other rainbowy things you’re really telling me that I’m not reacting appropriately to this – otherwise known as telling me that I’m wrong.    That’s crap.  Sorry, but it is.  Everyone deals with stuff differently – in fact, the Austin American Statesman had an article on this very topic a couple of weeks ago.

-  I could never do what you’re doing.  OK, this is also crap.  Because, NO ONE wants to go through this and yet- when you’re faced with no other choice,  you do it.  Everyone does.  Is it fun?  No.  Do I want to do it?  No.  Will I get through it?  Someday, yes.  I hope.

OK, so now that I’ve shot down all of the things that normally come out of your mouth, you have to be wondering what is possibly left to say?  Is it better to say nothing?  NOOOOO!  Please talk to me!

You’re right – this is terrible.  I’m so sorry that you have to go through this.  What can I do to help?

That is the PERFECT thing to say to anyone who has suffered a death, or lost their home or is facing a terrible illness or…  By saying this, you’re acknowledging that the fire really is a horrible event, your not diminishing the tragedy, you’re admitting your own grief for the event and you’re offering to help.

The next thing to do is to LISTEN TO WHAT THEY SAY NEXT.   Usually, I said something like “Thanks, yes it is terrible, we are OK (still can’t explain how that is but…) and if you really want to help XXXX.”  Sometimes, I said that I didn’t need anything.  Other times, I needed a dog house or information on donation centers or… The important thing at this point is to then do your best to help in the manner indicated.  This will show that you mean what you say and are there for more than just words.

By saying the “right” thing, you open up the door to future conversations – which are very much needed right now.  We disaster folks need people who are empathetic, not judgemental, who will listen and not diminish feelings or emotions, who will help or find help when the need arises.

Recovery is a LONG process – the trauma will never be gone from our lives and we will need to talk about it and deal with it long after you have forgotten the exact hour and day (which we will likely never forget) of the last time we saw our homes.  We NEED YOU to help us get to a different version of OK.  We need the help in figuring out what our new normal is – for some it will be the same as before, for others we’re taking the opportunity to build a lemonade stand and make the changes that we’ve been thinking about for a long time.  Both options are valid and appropriate.

But, no matter what you say to us, the fact that you care enough to say anything at all is a wonderful thing.  Please know that now, as always, we appreciate all of the support you have given…

10 Important Questions for your Homeowners Insurance Provider

When we bought our house 2 1/2 years ago, my husband was nervous about the insurance.  We decided to go with USAA since we could (have to have been in the military, or your parents, to join) and their reputation is better than most.  That said, our mortgage provider only required that we insure the HOUSE – and nothing else.

Fortunately, hubby is a paranoid guy and decided that the $100 or so extra a year to add on the “extras” was worth it.  Right now, we owe our future to those extras…  We got lucky – we had adequate coverage BEFORE the disaster… but some of our friends who lost their homes weren’t as lucky.  Other friends, who had to evacuate but still have a house, they’ve since found out that their coverage was not what they had thought.

NOW IS THE TIME TO REVIEW YOUR COVERAGE WITH YOUR INSURANCE.

Seriously.  Do it NOW.  You never know when the sky might fall and if it does… the extra money spent now will be returned in spades.

And if you’re stupid enough to not have insurance at all… well… PLEASE go get coverage now.

So, a few of us moms in my local Mom’s Club were talking via email about what sorts of things you should check on to make sure you’re covered in your insurance.  Again, this is just stuff we’ve learned by going through it ourselves, we’re by no means official experts but… (Thanks to Tracey and Stacey for the questions other than the 3 that I added to the list!)

1) Tree coverage, from $250 to $500 per tree. Not trees dead from the drought, but ones that were destroyed through acts of nature. Do they pay this to you as a separate coverage, or is it included in your total house coverage?

2) Smoke, Flood, Hail, Vandalism, etc type damage. Where do you stand with coverage if it is not a total loss? What is your deductible? Do you have that same deductible if it’s a total loss?

3) Clearing the lot of debris and sometimes foundation slab replacement where a home is a total loss. Are these paid as extra, or included in your total house coverage? Quotes I’ve seen: $10,000-$14,000 for clearing the lots of debris, and another $10k-$12k for slab removal.

4) Jewelry has a cap on coverage, unless you have it covered separately as an add-on for theft only or on an appraised amount in order to have other reasons besides theft included. These caps can be as low as $500, which doesn’t even cover a wedding ring usually. If you are wearing it regularly, perhaps you don’t mind if it’s covered or not. If you don’t have an add-on policy, and it’s a big value piece, make sure store it in a fireproof safe all the time.  (Or my preference – take pictures of the items after they’re appraised and place in a bank safe deposit box.)

5) Replacement Value for the House.  If your house is a total loss, and your total coverage is only the value of your house as if you were to sell it, is that really a proper coverage level for you? If clearing the lot, foundation replacement and tree removal coverages are INCLUDED in your total coverage amount, and not paid out separate, you are down by $20k or more right off the bat. If that’s the case, consider a total coverage amount as high as they will let you, as close to a $90 to $100 per sq ft rebuilding price as you can get it. In checking with builders, that is how much is costs you today to rebuild your home on average. It will put you closer to a true cost amount if you had to clear your lot and rebuild.

6)  Cost to Rebuild – When coming up with the coverage on your home structure, you may want to consider not only what you could resell your house for but also what it would cost to rebuild that structure. In our case, those numbers were quite different.

 7)  Additional Structures...(Pools, Decks, etc.) – In our case we had coverage for additional structures which included our pool and our decks. If you ever came to our house there was a lot of decking. Unfortunately we did not insure these items for the amount that it would cost to rebuild them. (Most people don’t think about these things until it actually happens.) That is one thing that I would change if we had it to do all over.

8) Content coverage.  It was an add on for us (USAA) and thank heavens we did.  What do you need as proof for contents?  Be sure to take pictures of EVERYTHING in your house, clothes included.  It will help for proof and also to jog your memory should you have to itemize everything you own.  Also, there are different requirements for different situations – disasters like this one our insurance didn’t question anything and gave us 75% of the insured value of the contents (but this payout level varies widely from different insurers)… but in the case of theft, I think that the requirements for proof are very different.

9) Displaced living allowance.  Basically, if your house is destroyed or made un-livable, this is money to pay for housing until you can get a house rebuilt or cleaned up/repaired enough to move back in.  In our situation, USAA was willing to pay out a lump sum, which we used to buy an RV with – but from talking to other folks, this is NOT typical.  Be sure to add this on to your policy and know what is allowed before you get in this situation.

10)  Pets.  Does your insurance cover boarding of pets while you’re out of the house?  Ours didn’t… also, medical expenses for pets caused by the disaster.  Our cat is STILL at the hospital and if not for the vet giving a huge discount….

Better safe than sorry… and in this case, you might be REALLY sorry if you’re not properly covered.  Hopefully, the sky will never fall for you but if it does…you’ll be happy that you paid the few extra dollars for the right coverage.

How To Help – After the Disaster

There have been a LOT of disasters lately – the earthquakes in Japan, the floods in New England, the tornado in Joplin, MO and most vividly in my mind, the horrible wildfires in Bastrop, Texas.

In the past, I have been a Peace Corps Volunteer, I was a Red Cross volunteer during Katrina/Rita (in Bryan, TX – where THOUSANDS of evacuees passed through), I have even gone to offer the Red Cross assistance to people who had normal house fires.  I thought that I KNEW, that I understood what people in disasters were going through but…

But, I didn’t know anything and honestly – most people who have NOT been through some sort of natural disaster have no flippin clue as to what is really going on in the minds of those affected.  (Notice that I didn’t say “victims” – I am NOT a victim.)

I also realize that most people, at least those who have a bit of compassion for others, that people want to HELP.  (Cue in the Beatles song – Help, I need somebody, Help, anybody….)  But, what people are thinking of doing and what is actually useful – 2 different things it seems.

So, I asked my fellow fire people for thoughts on what to do and give and what not to do and give…  The following is a list of suggestions and thoughts based off of our experiences of the past month.  It is in no way intended to make anyone feel bad – we realize that the best of intentions are meant with any offer… and in that, I at least, TOTALLY APPRECIATE whatever is given.  But, it is meant to help and guide you for the next time that the sky falls… PLEASE add to the list in the comments – this is in no way a difinitive list…

THINGS TO GIVE – RIGHT NOW

This is for the 1-5 days post disaster portion…

- toiletries are nice – but if you can’t get it to them like immediately – they will have gone to Target or the grocery store and bought deodorant on their own.  Some things can’t wait.

- Good books – as in, fiction books from the best sellers list.  I read “The Help” during the first week and it was the perfect thing.  I needed a way to escape my current new reality AND something to do at 2 am after I got the one hour of sleep for the night.

- Craft kits – Do you know a person involved in the disaster who was a knitter, crocheter, quilter, cross stitcher…?  Under normal evacuation conditions, yarn is not one of the things that makes it out the door.  And yet, there’s lots of scientific evidence out there supporting the meditative like qualities that handiwork induces… which right now, is needed more than ever.  Plus, for a crafty person, having something to do with their hands is helpful in times like this.  Put together a zip bag of pretty yarn, the right sized needles or hook and a simple scarf or hat pattern, or potholder patttern… or a new cross stitch kit or…

- DVDs – especially for kids.  We relied on Sesame Street, Dora, Caillou… the types will change based on the age of the kids, but they are all good.  Kids need to escape and feel “normal” too.  Going back to familiar shows helped to relax Rosie and provided distractions while her Papa and I called numerous folks and dealt with the vast number of insurance calls, family calls and our own nervous breakdowns.

At this point, especially once the fate of a disaster person’s home has been determined, people are going to start asking that omni-present question:  “What do you need?”

“I don’t know” was normally my answer.

I realize that this is frustrating for those of you who want to help, but really, I have and had no idea.  I needed everything and nothing.  I mean, I’m not POOR, right?  After all, we’re raised to think that “It’s better to Give than to Recieve”… and now you’re expecting me to reverse years of training and take stuff?  Despite the obviousness of everything, it still takes a while to get used to…

Also, I’m not one of those people you see on TV… except, that this time, I WAS one of the people.  It takes a while for us involved to wrap our brains around the fact that our situation is being talked about AROUND THE WORLD.  That people in France and Japan heard the words Bastrop Texas on their news programs and they were talking about my sky falling.  It’s crazy.

So… we’ll talk about a few basic rules of disaster assistance.

The I DON’T KNOW rule -  If the person you’re wanting to help utters those words and you still want to help but don’t know how – SEND MONEY.  I know, not politically correct, but oh so useful.  Gift cards work great, too.  You’d be AMAZED at how much money you spend in the first couple of weeks buying things like underwear and deodorant and eating out and gas and ….

The NIKE SHOE RULE – If a disaster person asks for help with a specific thing – JUST DO IT.  Don’t complain about it, don’t pester them with a zillion questions, JUST DO IT.  This, in a very non-pc and not grandmother approved but very common post-disaster terminology, is also known as the “just f-ing do it” rule.

The I WISH RULE – If you utter these words to a disaster person, “I wish there was something I could do to help” and then, when the person you’ve said this to replies with a list of things that you CAN do to help and suddenly you’re busy… you can see how this is not helpful and causes more distress for the already greatly distressed person.  If you want to help, help, if you don’t – stay in your house and try to avoid the rocks being thrown your way by everyone else who is helping.

The DO WHAT YOU OFFERED TO DO rule – If you agree to provide a specific assistance and then don’t or don’t do it in a timely manner… well, again with the rocks.   We folks in the midst of the fun don’t have time to worry if you’re actually going to pick up the pack of undies or not and are trusting you to be good to your word.  Now is not the time to not follow through.

The NOT THAT DESPERATE rule – When donating items to relief centers, please realize that your items need to be in GOOD CONDITION.  If you have things that are damaged that might be OK for a thrift store donation (where people expect things to need a little help) – this is NOT OK for donation centers.  I got some really cute shorts but with a missing button.  Some great silk pants – that the hooks were missing on… I don’t have time, energy or the supplies to fix this stuff!  Basically – if you don’t want an item in your house or closet, then no one else will want it either – even if they have nothing else.

When donating clothes, a little sorting goes a long ways.  PLEASE…

- label and sort your clothes and put in different boxes.  Label by gender and size.  Please realize that we are already without a home – we don’t need to LOOK homeless too!

Below is a list of things that can be included for the longer term relief…

- Babysitting.  Talking with the friendly folks at FEMA is usually easier without a screaming 2 year old.

- Calgon – as in “Calgon, take me away”… OK, so this might not ever really be used, but with a note with the commercial catch line on it, it might provide a very rare commodity in post disaster situations – a laugh.

- Don’t send stuffed toys for kids unless you are replacing a specific beloved toy.  There were MOUNTAINS of stuffed toys at donation centers.

- Jewelry.  Some pretty earrings or a necklace.  Not on the “need” list that most of us are using right now, but it will help the soul of the woman that it goes to – again, a less tangible but ever so needed item.

- Music.  Know your friends musical taste?  Did they loose their collection, too?  I still don’t have any CDs to play in my new RV… but thanks to a friend sending a gift card to Amazon, a few choices will be on their way soon.  Again – this helps in the relaxing stage.

- Storage space.  In the first weeks post disaster, we get offered lots of stuff, but often, our living situations are not yet determined (and can’t be – insurance takes a while)… having a place to store the great furniture donated is a huge help.

- Craft store gift cards.  Again – not “needed” but a bit of yarn or fabric that I get to pick out?

- Call me.  I will need time to vent, to process to know that I have friends.  Phone calls are hugely important.

- Services.  Are you a photographer?  Offer to take pictures of the family to make new memories.  Do you make furniture?  Quilts?  Cook well?  Providing a meal or two is a huge help.

- Clean up services.  Have a tractor and trailer?  Chainsaw?  Muscles?  Right now (4 weeks out from the fire) we’re starting cleaning up our property.  Taking the scrap metal (old truck, metal roof, fridge…) to the metal recycler is a huge help.  Cutting down trees (we hired a family friend), planting back green stuff (eventually)… theres LOTS to do and we will need lots of help.

- Stuff that they had before.  I LOVED my Fiestaware dishes… And a friend gave me a set.  Yes, there were other dishes that came my way before I got my new Fiestaware, but … These are another step back to “normal”.  Be sure to ask first, but often it is the mundane things being replaced that help the most.

GETTING BACK TO NORMAL – Even though there will never be normal again, having some things that you had before, like my Fiestaware, or a bird feeder, or the cute sheets on the toddler’s bed… it helps us feel like we will be OK.  That bit of the familiar during all of the chaos, helps.  It just does.

Finally, the best thing that I can tell you as far as helping post disaster:

DO SOMETHING.

Anything is better than not helping at all.

It is in times like this that we find out who our true friends are, what family members truly care about us – it is a brief moment of clarity.  Be one of the people who we remember as being there in our time of need, call, send money, babysit, cut down trees…

Many thanks to those of you whom I can count as having been there for me in the past month.  The recovery is just now beginning – thanks for helping us start out on the path back to a “new” normal.

After the Fire

Hi folks.  Sorry that I’ve been awol for a while now.  As you might have guessed, things have been crazy in my life lately.

First – we are doing OK.  Really.

Second – thanks for all of your kind words of support in the comments, it really has helped and meant a lot to me.

If you emailed me at the address for the blog, I’m sorry, but I still haven’t checked that account yet.  I’m doing good to keep up with personal emails at this point.  But, as things calm down in both my life and my mind, I hope to check and answer and…

So, I took a few pictures during/after the fire.  I thought that I’d share them with you all…

These are a few pictures of the smoke.  We were in the city of Bastrop at the time, driving east towards the fire, foolishly thinking that we might be able to get back into our house – on the same day that the fire started.  At this point, no one knew how big this thing would become.

There’s smoke and then there’s smoke clouds like these – they literally took up 3/4 of the sky when looking that direction. (This one was taken while I was in the car – part of the dash is in the top left.)

This is a picture of the sun as seen from our friend Lisa’s house, where we first evacuated to on Sunday.  While not showing well in the picture, the sun was literally RED.  Not a sunset red, but a high in the sky red.

Right after the start of the fire, one of our neighbors had snuck back into the neighborhood (there were police baricades everywhere) and fought the fire on their property.  They saved their house, but barely.  Huge black scorch mark up to the roof on one side…

In the process of being there, they found our cat, Chiquita.  They said that our house probably burned on Monday night or Tuesday morning (we were about a mile north west of the origin of the fire, so we got hit by the back burn and flares and not by the main thrust of the fire which was going south by a very strong north wind) and found the cat on Wednesday.  She is alive, but has burned paws.  As they would not be allowed back in to the area should they have left, they stayed and fought the fire and took care of the cat as best they could.  I totally agree with that decision….

Our cat is still in the vet hospital with her burned feet.  I tried taking her home after a vet in San Antonio (who didn’t charge us at all for boarding and care) released her when we got the RV, but her feet got worse… It’s hard to find a place for an injured cat in a small space!  After she left bloody footprints all over my new sheets (my only set) on Sunday, I took her to a local vet Monday morning where she will stay for at least 2 weeks until her feet are much better…  It’s hard not having her here, but it’s easier on Rosie who got very upset with her sick kitty.

So, on to the pictures of what is left.  These are pictures that I took on re-entry day, 8 days after the fire started, a week ago this past Monday.

This is the view from the road at our driveway…

From the driveway looking east towards the garden.

A close up of the garden – it had been a raised bed edged in cedar logs from our property.  We just put this in this past spring.

The cat food feeding area (fenced off from nosy dogs and a 3 year old kid) also got burned… the plastic water thing didn’t do so well.

This is the plastic toddler basketball hoop and the John Deere metal tricycle that Rosie got for her 3rd birthday in May.

A ceramic turtle that I got this summer at a yard sale… it was by the front picket fence.  I brought him with me and he is sitting in front of our RV now.  My green frog wasn’t so lucky though.

This is from the front of the house looking at what is left of the laundry room.

The refidgerator.  Notice the broken Fiestaware dishes on the bottom left.  I’m pretty sure we left lunch out on the bar when we evacuated.  The sink and dish drainer are on the left.

Pans.  These are the cast iron pans (which we’ve salvaged – we’ll see if I can save them) but the stainless steel Emerilware that I got for my wedding melted.

Silverware.

Metal parts of the vintage toddler chairs in what is left of the living room.

Rosie’s room as seen from the porch.

The metal bookshelf thing from my bedroom.  Melted beyond salvage.

To the west of the house was a couple of sheds – one work shed and another storage shed.  The storage shed is totally gone, but this is the metal roof left from the work shed.  (Russ is on the left, the USAA insurance adjuster is on the right.)

And Russ’ truck.  We had our first date in this truck – I spent lots of time with Russ in this thing… very sorry that it met its end like this.  Russ said that it burned so hot that the alluminum transmision melted.  I think that we’re going to use it as yard art.  Will post pictures of that in a later post.

This is west looking at our neighbors yard.  They had a metal roofed 2 story house with a shed next to it…

Looking west towards the burned neighbor.

This is the east side of the yard.  The neighbor to the east, at the very end of our dead end road, somehow survived the fire.  Not sure how or why but I’m glad that they’re OK.  (My lens cover kept screwing up, that’s what the black part is… stupid camera finally died that day.)

This is the gate into the back 2 acres.  We have 3 acres but lived on the front 1 acre.  You can see that the fire burned through the back of this, too.

And this is what the house looks like from that back gate.

 

This is what is left of the pop-up camper.

Rosie’s play area in the back yard somehow survived.

But the clothesline?

And the new hummingbird feeder…

As you can tell, there’s not much left.  A US Forest Service guy drove by and talked to us when we were there.  He said that our trees, being more drought tolerant than most pines, needed only 15% green on them to survive.  I am not sure many, if any, of the trees made it.  There are a few along the road side but…  Russ said that some of the little trees in the center driveway circle, where the fire wasn’t so bad, they seem OK.

But, it STILL hasn’t rained here.  We need to get out and water what is left in an attempt to keep something green in the area.

So, the big question – are we going to rebuild?  And, I don’t think so.  We are going to clean up the lot, cut down the dead trees and then once it’s safe for kids and dogs, move the RV over there. After that… who knows.

Our friend, Katie, who is letting us invade her yard and life by parking the RV right next to her house – she is GREAT.  BUT, her yard is still flamable.  At least at our property, it’s all burned.  It might be ugly, but it feels safer.

So, that’s it for this post.  I’ll write more about what it’s like, what to give and not to give to disaster people, issues and … all kinds of fun stuff.  It’s a whole new perspective but it is important and I hope that you stick with me as I take this journey through the recovery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silver Lining in a Dark Ash Cloud

Well, we finally got pictures of our house.

As you can see, there’s not much left.  The picket fence was outside of the grass lawn that was around the front and side of the house.

There used to be a couple of storage sheds to this side, and my husbands truck is crispy, too.

It is sobering to look at – so little remains.  But, we are OK.  We will continue to be OK.  Our friends and families have rallied around us and we are humbled and overwhelmed with the generosity both of people we know and those that we don’t know.  There are positive parts to all of this – the opportunity to become truly “minimalist”.  The opportunity to find out who our friends really are.  The moment of clarity when having to make decisions on what material goods are truly important to us.

We are struggling with insurance right now… The county officials have yet to make it in to our neighborhood, despite it being the first evacuated on Sunday, the first burned, the first….  They say due to active fires in the area still.  Pockets of unburned fuel are igniting still and… Until the officials make it to our house and declare it officially gone and put our address on the official list … we don’t get much insurance money.  It is extremely frustrating.  We spent the day shaking and beating the government trees, calling in favors from people we hadn’t talked to in a year (who were much better connected politically) and still…

But, we have a deposit on an RV here in San Antonio where we are staying.  We have a week to get the money from insurance that we need to buy it.  We had added a rider to our policy that provides money for living expenses should we be displaced from our home – it will pay for the RV.  If you don’t have this on your policy, I highly recommend it!

Rosie is struggling with all of this.  Bedtimes are hard.  She keeps saying that she wants to sleep in her bed at home.  I finally told her that our house has an “owie” and that is why we’re staying at her aunts house.  She did not like my answer, but seems better about it today.  She has more than enough clothes right now, and we’re working on the toys.   She will be OK.  Plus, our future RV doesn’t have much storage space anyways!

As of now, 35,000 acres have burned in this fire alone.  It is, as of Friday night, still only 40% contained.   Electric utility officials told us today (when we were shaking the tree) that though right now, the destroyed home total is only 1,300 or so, it will reach at least 2,000 by the time this is all done.

And the best news of the week… the weather guys are now telling us that La Nina, who caused this horrible drought this summer, she is back for the next year.  It is so very discouraging to face another year like this after what we have been through this past week.

Please keep Bastrop, Texas in your thoughts and help out if you can.  I will be talking about emergency readiness and planning in the coming weeks, and maybe some tips on not procrastinating, too!

Thank you for all of your support… Love ya!