BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Cocktails Wildfire destroying my home

I just love our editors too! Dreaded forums before I made it my mission to bite the bullet and learn how to use this forum. One year later? Addicted!!

Too weary to type, to sleep. Will update in my morning. Love you all.

Sandy, my prayers are with you. What an awful experience to be going through. Stay safe!

Susan

Please keep us updated on the cat news front!

I have asked a couple of witches who work a lot with the Elementals to see if they can influence the fire going out faster. Still waiting to hear what they plan and/or if it works.

OMG Sandy, I am so very sorry to hear about your home! How scary. I hope your kitty turns up soon.

Know that you are in my prayers girl!!

Hi Sandy, I have just watched a video on Yahoo news about the fires. Thought I would come to see if anyone was involved with them here. Sorry to hear about your cat and your home. Glad you and your dogs are safe though.

My two minute dash would involve grabbing my laptop, my pigeon, my rosy bourke and the four dogs. The boys are big enough to get themselves sorted. Oh and a pair of glasses if I can find one.

I am not prepared for any sort of disaster. I guess I would deal with it when it happened. I have lost homes and 'stuff' many times over the years and have learned not to become attached to material things. Easy come, easy go. As you said a chance to reinvent yourself.

I send you my thoughts, not much help I know, but I wish you well and hope your cat turns up. God bless Linda

Sandy, I just found this thread. You and your pets are in my prayers. Stay safe and keep that delightful spirit of yours up and shining. Take care.

Thank you all for your wonderful thoughts and beautiful kind, encouraging words!! I'm definitely in a state of shock but it's so nice to know I've got concerned friends all around the world. I've also heard from people (in my real-life world) that I haven't spoken to in years. This fire has been frightening but it's definitely brought some wonderful people to my attention. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I've still had no word on the cat. Will post photographs to ASPCA and animal rescue sites later today. Thank you all for your kind words and prayers on her behalf. I can't wait to tell Roxie how you're all thinking about her.

The fire is still raging out of control. Last I heard, 30,000 acres had been burned, more than 600 homes destroyed, a thousand evacuees, and the beautiful Bastrop State Park a few miles from my house is 2/3 scorched. The fire started between my house and the state park.

The highway and roads surrounding the fire are all closed and probably will be for a few more days. We'd had tremendous winds spreading the fire uncontrollably since it started on Sunday but the winds have died down today. Officials are expecting to achieve some control over the fire today.

There are many fires scattered throughout the Central Texas area right now so fire-fighting resources are stretched thin. We're in an excessive drought that's lasted more than a year now, with no relief in sight, so this place is a tinder box. My cousin's husband owns a store that normally sells charcoal and other supplies for BBQ-ing but he won't sell these things at any price right now, no matter how much a customer begs for them. I like his style.

Luckily, I am a renter so my loss is just of personal possessions. And the cat.

After evacuating my house (in the country) on Sunday, I had to evacuate my mother's house (in town) on Monday. After that second evacuation, my mother, my dogs, and I are staying at my sister's house about 70 miles away from the fire. There are smaller fires dotting the landscape here. We see smoke in the hills and can smell it every time we go outside. Nevertheless, I feel much safer here than anywhere I've been since Sunday.

Will keep you updated!

New questions: if you were beginning your life anew, building from the ground up, what would you do? Who would you be?

Sandy,
Reading or hearing about the fire, many miles away, on the news is one thing but reading your personal experience is another. It is painful to hear about. My husband and I lost a big part of our life 2 years ago. That's when you find out what really matters.

I'm praying for you and your family and for you finding you cat.

MY CAT IS ALIVE - and healthy!!

The man I was living with (renting space in an old friend's house; his name is Ed) has been there every day since the fire started. Just called me about details. Said the cat is alive and totally unharmed, not even a scorched hair!! He's feeding her and taking care of her and loving on her for me. I was sooooo relieved to hear this good news that I broke down into tears - the first tears since the fire started. Thank you ALL for your wonderful thoughts for me and my Roxie, the cat - they worked a miracle! We love you!!

Latest word is that my house did NOT burn entirely; the outside is burned but the inside is intact, just stinky like smoke. As soon as I can get back into the area, I'll go back and pack my stuff up to move to a new home somewhere. Ed needs my space to house his family - his 84-year-old father lost his home as did his sister and her husband. They need to be together on their property to rebuild; they don't need to worry about me.

The fire is still burning; firefighters say it is 0% contained at this point but winds have died down and progress is expected soon. Winds were gusting 40 to 50 MPH when the fire started but are down to just 5 to 20 MPH today. This is an awesome development.

Roads are still closed but Ed's camping out at the house to watch for any fires that might spark and to keep looters away. Latest news is that looting is becoming an issue. Bummer. It may be several days before I can get back there myself and he's warned me that I will not believe the devastation down our country road alone.

But the cat's OK!!!!!