When Wildfires Come Calling

Is September gone? REALLY gone? I made one Instagram post about Smokey The Bear and being safe in the woods on Labor Day weekend. Then Mother Nature decided to burn down Oregon. We finally got rain during an epic three-fifteen a.m. thunder and lightning show over my house and the fires on September 19th.

The above photo is what heaven looks like; rain on my back deck compete with ash on the side and one of my favorite glass blown paperweights. 

A huge salute to all our professional, volunteer, and citizen volunteer fire warriors. Also to the fire fighters who came from across the United States and the world to help us. Those men and women are true angels. They continue to fight on here and in California, Washington, and Colorado, to name a few other states still on fire.

Also a huge debt of gratitude to all the helpers who pitched in to evacuate horses, goats, llamas, pigs, alpacas, sheep, cattle, cats, dogs, birds, and you name it. We love our animals in this state and folks did their best to try and get everyone out.

We lost lives we can never replace. And some are still missing. Our compassion and shared sorrow surrounds those families.

But if not for the actions of such dedicated firefighters as Upper McKenzie Fire District Chief Rainbow, plus the Idanha-Detroit RFPD Volunteers, and all the city, sheriff, and state law enforcement personnel, the death toll would have been so much greater.

Mother Nature gave us epic high winds during a drought fire season. The equivalent of taking a blowtorch to a match stick factory storage room. When fire moves seventeen miles in five hours, you better have wheels and a clear road. That didn’t happen for everyone.

Then to pile on, Mother Nature tried to suffocate us with a weather inversion of smoke and the worst air quality in the world. For days. I’ve never been a big fan of the color orange, except on pumpkins, but that smoke messed with breathing. I really like my oxygen pure.  

While I was on Level One fire evacuation notice for a week, my family didn’t have to leave. SO GRATEFUL. I had close friends who did, and more who were on level two orders. 

So you might ask, what does a former military veteran author stuff in the car when you get the notice?

1. Water
2. Emergency meal bucket with 150 dried meals
3. My external hard drive, all my SD memory cards, thumb drives, and cameras, phone and chargers
4. My two in progress hard copy fiction manuscripts
5. Cat carrier, cat food, litter, litter box, cat bed and toys
6. Clothes, coats, personal hygiene items, drugs, precious jewelry
7. Bedding, pillows, more food
8. Rope, tarp, folding chairs
9. There is always a go bag and emergency kit in the car.   

     For starters. 

I made an unpack list when we finally got the all clear, to assess my decisions, but I took my time over several days to unpack Subie; because Mother Nature is tricky.

The interesting parts are the weird thoughts you have with yourself. From my office desk I took four items. A Minion stress squeeze toy, two glass heart paperweights, and a plaque that says “Everyday a new story begins.”

An odd discussion I had with my sister revolved around whether I should pack Dad’s ashes. We agreed yes, since she thought it wouldn’t be right for him to be cremated twice. These are the odd things you ponder when you have the luxury of time. Think ahead folks.

And now Mother Nature continues to play Disaster Bingo in the Gulf Coast with another hurricane. Planet Earth needs a reboot!

So that’s what I’ve been up to. Also checking on friends and neighbors who are now back home and finding other friends whose families have lost homes.

Oregon’s official state animal is the beaver. And boy, howdy, we are going to rebuild our state and help each other out with that animal spirit. 

Filbert and Maple are on the job now at the Oregon Zoo, building.

Stay safe, sane, and get your emergency list prepared people. It’s still 2020!