Anita lives in the US and collects several types of dolls but mainly ball jointed dolls. Earlier in the week she was telling me and Kate, another of my very close dolly friends from the US, that she was making a list of dolls that she would be 'grabbing' if they had to evacuate their home in the event that the fires raging in their area, came too close. She said that there was smoke all around but so far so good, the actual fires were not yet close enough. We hoped it would remain that way.
However last night, because she knows how much we would worry, Anita sent a quick one liner to Kate and I saying that they'd been given the order to 'evacuate'! Instead of doing that though, they got their dog, Gus, out to the safety of a friends house and then Anita, her brother in law and their son, started the long battle to try and save their home of 30 plus years!
Sadly Anita's brother in law lost his home to the fire, but Anita and her husband were more fortunate in that as they were fighting the flames so a helicopter came over and dumped a whole load of water down on their property and then a water truck appeared and managed to soak the barn. If the barn had gone up, it would have taken the house with it for sure.
Here are the photos Anita sent us......it is pretty scary how close the flames actually are to Anita's all wood ranch style home.....
This was Anita's mail box....
I am so thankful that although they now don't have power and everything stinks of smoke, they are safe and well, although exhausted, as you can imagine. Isn't it scary though that we'd even have to think about what we'd do in the event that x, y or z were to suddenly happen.
And thankfully Anita never did have to act on her list.
Poor, poor Anita - what a horrible scary time this must have been. So hope that her B-i-L is OK and has somewhere to go.
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting us know know that she, her husband and her home survived this awful ordeal.
J xx
Thank you Jenni, I haven't had a full update yet as you can imagine, but hopefully all will be well.
Deletexxx
Oh wow, that must have been terrifying for them - and how fortunate that the water helicopter came by in time.
ReplyDeleteYes, thank you jSarie, it really must have been .... I just can't imagine it to be honest, and hope I never will have to experience it.
Deletexxx
Gosh, truly terrifying!
ReplyDeleteVery much so Louise!
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Thank goodness your friend and her family survived this without loss of life. It shows that we are all at the will of fate, Anita was fortunate that the helicopter came over with water at the time they needed it most and so her house was saved but her Brother in law was less fortunate and lost his.
ReplyDeleteWe live our lives happily ignorant of what could be just round the corner waiting for us and that's as it should be , you cannot borrow trouble or you would never leave the house!
But I know your friend and her family will pick themselves up and clear up and move on but it must have been such a scary night fighting to save their home against the odds and I am so glad she did not have to decide which dolls to save and which to leave to their fate!
Hugs Dee xxx
My sentiments exactly Dee.
DeleteThanks for your comments :)
xxx
So pleased that Anita, her brother-in-law and their son are themselves safe and sound after such a terrible ordeal. I'm afraid that I wouldn't have been so plucky and would have taken the evacuation order and risked losing my home and possessions....as unfortunately her brother-in-law did.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts and prayers are with them all as they start to re-build their lives and homes.
Thanks for your comment Kendal, I hope we'll never have to find out what we'd actually do in this situation. It's so very scary.
Deletexxx
Just terrible fires in the western part of the States. Rick and I have been watching the news updates every day! I am so thankful that Anita and all of her family are safe after considering all of the possible, horrible alternatives. I, too, will keep them all in my thoughts and prayers and especially Anita's brother-in-law and family. Thank you Sharon for a sobering reminder of how blessed we all are! xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for your words Ginger. It really is quite frightening, isn't it, and each year it seems to happen.
Deletexxx
How terrible for her brother in law, I wish him a lot of strength to cope with this loss. Thank goodness everybody survived this terrifying ordeal and is safe.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Linda, I will pass this on to Anita.
Deletexxx
You are so right about everything. These wildfires are so quick and scary and I'm really glad she and her home were safe. So wonderful that the water helicopter came by!! Prayers to her family and community...
ReplyDeleteThey really are Farrah, one minute Anita thought they were 'close' but not too close, and the next thing this....very scary indeed. Thank you for your prayers for them.
Deletexxx
Living where we do it's difficult to imagine something like that happening - where your home and your livelihood are in danger of disappearing.
ReplyDeleteI had seen news reports of the fires and did wonder if anyone in the dolly world would be affected.
Your friend and family were so brave to stay and fight the flames - I can only imagine what it must have been like. I'm glad to hear they survived and wish them well in rebuilding their lives.
Exactly Rosie, we tend to take things for granted so much when we don't live in any danger.
DeleteThanks so much. xxx
Does your friend Anita live in the Lake Chelan area of Washington state? I'm afraid all of the weather changes we in the United States are experiencing are mainly the result of Global Warming because the ice caps are melting. To stop or, at the very least reduce, the world needs to end or radically cut-down the emissions of destroying the ozone layer. Individually, it doesn't seem to matter much, but collectively it did their part, it would.
ReplyDeleteI agree, we do need to do something, but as you say individually it doesn't seem to matter much, however, if lots of individuals did it may well make some difference. We take so much for granted on our planet, we need to take stock as surely it can't last forever?
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Does your friend Anita live in the Lake Chelan area of Washington state? It was such a beautiful spot. I'm afraid most of the weather changes we in the United States are experiencing are mainly the result of Global Warming because the melting ice caps are changing weather patterns. For example, the most western parts have been dried into flammable tinder due to no rain, while we have experienced a beautiful summer in the Midwest with more rain than the normal. To stop the destruction of our home the Earth, we, at the very least, the world needs to end or radically cut-down the emissions of greenhouse gases.
ReplyDeleteI don't know the name of the area, only where she lives but yes it is a beautiful part of the US, or was. Hopefully it will rebuild itself, nature has an uncanny knack of coming back stronger thank goodness.
DeleteWe really do all need to act together to help reduce the emissions. Here in Spain we've had a very hot dry summer again, I do feel it gets hotter each year.
xxx