Not so gentle reminders…

“Lightning just hit our roof!”

Not the text one wants to get from their beloved spouse, to begin with. Much less, when 1100 miles away on a business trip.

My wife got everyone to safety, and had the fire department en route, in great time, for which I am deeply thankful.

The local FD, in our rural area, did an amazing job, for which we are all extremely grateful. In the end, our attic crawlspace and much of the master bedroom walk-in was gutted by flames. The high temps melted many things in the upper floor and left a soot layer everywhere, down to most of the main floor, as well. In the FD’s quest to save the structure, which they accomplished, water damage ensued, down to the basement.

In a nutshell, much of our “stuff” was outright destroyed, coated with a thick layer of soot, or soaked in gritty water that carried specks of insulation, carbon, and whatever else had been exhausted from the encroaching flames.

In contrast, every member of the family made it out, to include all the myriad pets (although one cat hid under an upstairs bed until I found and retrieved her, 21 hours later). This is quite a blessing, for which I am profoundly thankful.

We’re looking at a 5 or 6 month repair/rebuilding period, which will be tough, but have already found a probable rental home, started replacing some things we know will not be salvaged or which are needed on a daily basis, and we have each other.

Even barring the first points, what else does one need, beyond family?

New memories can be crafted, after all, if the participants are present to participate. Life will move forward and new “things” will come and go, in their time. I have been blessed with a wonderful family and know, even more now than before, that “home” is truly defined by where they are at any given time.

Tight lines.

2 thoughts on “Not so gentle reminders…”

  1. Prayerfully thankful your family is fine.

    Um.. Fishing gear ok? Sorry but I need to ask before I set up a gofundme page for you.

    Seriously I can not imagine how traumatic this was for the and how helpless you must have felt.

    1. Agreed. Can’t imagine how I would deal with the family not being okay. Thank you for your prayers!
      Fly rod cases covered in soot. Fly rods seem fine, but will require hours of stress testing to confirm. Vest, and backup vest, burnt. Fly boxes within the main vest…smells like a less than pure wood campfire, but not warped. Fly tying desk, heavily soot coated. Tying supplies and vise, to be assessed by remediation company, tomorrow.
      Could be MUCH worse…

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