Skywatch Friday - Fire on the horizon
Wednesday night Irv was at work and I was at my monthly "ladies game night" at a friend's house. I headed home about 9:15 and got a call from my sweetie a few minutes later who was on his way home from work. A few minutes later the phone rang again and I thought my sweetie has just forgotten to tell me something...but no, it was a reverse 911 call from the sheriff's office. There was a grass fire near our home and we were in the evacuation zone. The pedal hit the medal as I made it home in record time with only one thing on my mind...my critters.
This was the view from our back deck...tons of fire rigs which is great to see when you live in an area that is protected by volunteer fire fighters. I expected to see fire crews closer to our house, but was relieved to see they were still a mile away or so, but the wind was howling so I knew I needed to decide what was important to take in the next couple minutes because we needed to get the horses loaded up and on the road as quickly as possible--no easy task when the adrenaline is flowing and the horses are excited from all the activity.
Here's what I chose:
A random selection of clothing...none of which matched but were close at hand.
My camera.
My camera's lenses.
My medical records.
My passport???
Apparently I was going to be skipping the country also.
On the way out I also planned to grab....
my newly finished painting and....
my computer. This may have been the only logical choice of the night. At least with both my camera and computer I would be able to continue blogging even if I didn't have a house to live in.
No thought was given to things like photos of my children's childhoods, my mother's paintings, or the heirloom china, silver, and crystal handed down to be by my mother and grandmother. The jewelry was going to be left behind with all the important documentation and other good stuff.
Luckily, my level-headed husband arrived home and took the time to call the sheriff's office to see what the status was. Whew! Everything was under control and we it was our discretion whether or not to evacuate.
This was a good lesson on the importance of being prepared in the event of a disaster. A list is a good idea because obviously some people don't think logically when they have to make quick decisions. All I know is that if I ever have to make the decision between leaving with nothing or saving my critters--the critters will always win!
I hope this is not an indication of another long fire season in Colorado.
Happy Skywatch Friday everyone!
This was the view from our back deck...tons of fire rigs which is great to see when you live in an area that is protected by volunteer fire fighters. I expected to see fire crews closer to our house, but was relieved to see they were still a mile away or so, but the wind was howling so I knew I needed to decide what was important to take in the next couple minutes because we needed to get the horses loaded up and on the road as quickly as possible--no easy task when the adrenaline is flowing and the horses are excited from all the activity.
Here's what I chose:
A random selection of clothing...none of which matched but were close at hand.
My camera.
My camera's lenses.
My medical records.
My passport???
Apparently I was going to be skipping the country also.
On the way out I also planned to grab....
my newly finished painting and....
my computer. This may have been the only logical choice of the night. At least with both my camera and computer I would be able to continue blogging even if I didn't have a house to live in.
No thought was given to things like photos of my children's childhoods, my mother's paintings, or the heirloom china, silver, and crystal handed down to be by my mother and grandmother. The jewelry was going to be left behind with all the important documentation and other good stuff.
Luckily, my level-headed husband arrived home and took the time to call the sheriff's office to see what the status was. Whew! Everything was under control and we it was our discretion whether or not to evacuate.
This was a good lesson on the importance of being prepared in the event of a disaster. A list is a good idea because obviously some people don't think logically when they have to make quick decisions. All I know is that if I ever have to make the decision between leaving with nothing or saving my critters--the critters will always win!
I hope this is not an indication of another long fire season in Colorado.
Happy Skywatch Friday everyone!
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