San Diego Fires 2007, and a little bit of normal life

It's been four years since the Cedar Fire (and others) in San Diego, and each October since then, I've found myself getting up in the morning and looking east to see if the fires were coming. This year, looking east didn't provide my warning; but we had plenty warning as heavy Santa Anna winds were forecast for this week. The fires, north, south, and east of us, came along with the winds.

It seemed that San Diego county just erupted in fire on Sunday, triggered by an alarm that went off just as the winds hit the area. It was a Sunday late in October when the Cedar fires came our way, too.

Although we didn't see blazes from views in our neighborhood, we all prepared to evacuate if necessary. RVs began to appear in front of houses as we watched. We had moved our RV to the house on Saturday, preparing for a camping trip to San Elijo State Beach starting on Monday, so we just had to change our minds about what to pack in preparation for possible evacuation.

We packed much the same as last time; but in addition to our laptop computers, medicines, Bibles, my sewing machine, and a few important papers, I packed my collections of threads and fabrics that I've been working on this summer - newly made quilts, quilts in progress, and other things. It was a relief this time not to be employed and obligated to deliver work product to others who were far removed from the situation. I was able to let my alert systems concentrate only on what Lauren and I needed. We started packing Sunday afternoon; and because our alert systems were generating a good flow of adrenaline, it was after midnight before we went to bed and to sleep.

We were fortunate. We weren't evacuated, although we spent Monday night in the RV in a shopping mall's parking lot, just a few miles down Poway Road. People had been evacuated a mile away from us; and because we live in an area that has only one road out, we decided we should just get out of the way in case the fire came down into our little cove during the night. It didn't.

Fire does not discriminate, and it is unforgiving. It has whipped its way along the mountain tops and down the canyons, picking and choosing what to devastate. There's little the fire fighters and other disaster personnel can do at the onset of such a fire storm except to try to get people out of the danger area and help them get their most precious things, from livestock and pets to precious pictures and memories.

The Internet and cell phones are wonderful things. Donna, sitting thousands of miles away in Dumaguete City, was continually in touch with Stephie & Scott, Pat and Bill, Jana and Josh, us, and other people they are close to. They were able to watch our local TV station, NBC 39, stream the same information over the Internet as we saw on our own TV screens, just seconds delayed. Amazing! Our world is so connected now, and there's a lot of good in that.


Among the things I packed in the RV, in case we found nothing to come home to, were the shopping bags I recently finished. I was able to send a pair off to Judy & Steve and to a dear friend of mine this morning. Last week, we got a big box off to Donna, too, and it seems to be a relief on my mind that those things that have been sent away from us, things I intended for others, are safe.

It's funny the things one worries about. Normal worries seem so trivial. The blue and pink flowered bag is destined for a personal delivery to a friend of Mom's here in Poway.

I knitted a purse to felt last week. Here it is in its unfelted condition. When I start feeling calmer inside, I'll stick it in the washer a few times and see what happens. This is made from Paton's Classic Wool (Merino) and it's readily available here at the local craft shops.

Yesterday, after we came home from the shopping center parking lot, I tried to settle myself down by watching old Law and Order and Murder She Wrote shows - my normal routine for at least part of the day when I'm knitting or crocheting. I started a lacy shawl, and I worked on it until I went to bed last night. It took a long time to understand the instructions because my mind just didn't want to settle down. I think I have a better understanding of it now, so I'll take a try at it again today and see if I can get enough done to see the pattern start to develop. It's been a long time since I did anything with many yarn overs, ssk, or sk2p kinds of things.

We will stay quietly at home today. We had thought of going to a movie, but I don't think we're settled enough now to want to be away from our home turf for very long, yet.

Our hearts go out to those who will have to have other living arrangements for the foreseeable future. I can't even fathom it. I hope they are overwhelmed with goodness from others during their period of loss.