my thoughts and a few favorite things on blue gingham

Doesn’t it seem that as of late the whole world is full of drama? The storms in the south? The news from the Middle East?  And what about Steve Carrell leaving the Office?

Drama is nothing new to me- I have three teenagers after all.  But lately it seems the drama is unmatched and I’m quickly learning I don’t really like it.  Maybe after losing my much loved cat it has pushed my “I- think-I-can” emotion down to the bottom.   Which reminds me to say a very big thank you for your sweet comments about Peter.  He was 14 and will forever have a paw print on my heart.  Just writing that makes me tear up—see what a mess I am?!

Our own local drama is still fire danger.  We had a close call Friday with fire rolling onto our property.  A friend called in the afternoon saying he heard there was a fire on our road ( a tiny country road!) and just as my kids walked in the door I looked up and saw flames on the neighbors lot.  The winds were gusting at 50+ miles an hour. 

The fire was instant.  We are very lucky the winds blew from the south.   The kids and I loaded the cars and I gave my 13 year old impromptu driving lessons.  We hosed down our house and outbuildings and watched the fire trucks racing in. But no one told us to leave.  So we stayed and watched well into the night.  This is the neighbors landscaping shed burning at around 11:00.  

 

This is the land between our house and the neighbors.

Their houses were spared as well.

At first I admit I was crazy with fear.  I was shaking so bad I couldn’t put things into bags.  But then this strange calmness took over and I can honestly say I became okay with the thought that our house was about to be burned.  Me the girl who loves stuff.

I knew my family would be okay and that we would be together.  That is the most beautiful thought in the world.  

It’s really surreal all this business…the fact that we are moving and actually closed on our house the morning of the fires.   (We are renting the house from the new owners until we leave in June.)

Saturday night storms came and it rained so hard.  It was lovely.  It hasn’t rained here in so long.  Have you ever seen Sarah Plain and Tall when Caleb puts the glass outside to measure the rain… only it never rains.  I have relived that movie a hundred times in my head.  Not just because of the drought but because of Sarah and how she misses the sea and loves her cat Seal.    I don’t mean to insult Texas  but I think I have been away from home too long.  I miss the ocean, my nephews are in college (!) and they think of us as those far away relatives.   Now that we are down to counting the weeks until we leave it is almost too much anticipation.  We decided months ago to move ourselves, we have done it before and it’s a little bit fun.  Fun?

Today is a better day, I am sure of it.  There’s lots of good stuff ahead.