I have so much to catch up on, so hard to believe summer is soon coming to an end,where to start I have been away so long and it seems just a couple weeks.
I will share my yard sale finds soon this summer I've been only a few but found some good treasures,I will share them shortly but first.
The waldo fires that though everyone has been moving up and on ward its an experience we will never forget we were evacuated for five days, Saturday morning we saw the beginning of the fire and were informed to get ready for possible mandatory evacuation so we got things together and had them down stairs in the kitchen ready for the notice, Tuesday my husband got home from work and by then the fire was so out of hand the week prior it was so hot and the smoke in the air was thick and heavy, we don't have air-condition we never seem to need or miss it hear since summer seems to go so quickly and the evenings are usually cool, so in the mornings I open the windows for fresh air. The week before the evacuation I had to keep the windows closed and the fans going it smelled like camp fire and we had breathing problems as well as asthmatics.
Tuesday my husband came home and went upstairs to keep eye everyone was ready and waiting thinking the fire would not cross over, when suddenly it came over so fast and so close so every one started to evacuate, my husband started to put the things I had ready in the van and I put Max my cat in a basket under some blankets and Audrey my smaller cat in my arms, we didn't have there carriers because the summer prior we used them to rescue cats and didn't replace them and I was so worried to get them and keep them safe.
As my husband started to drive away the traffic was crazy but the first responders did such a great job directed traffic, as we turned the corner on the main street the fire was so close it looked like armageddon like something you see in a movie like in the last days movie I've seen much in my life time but I never thought I would see such thing so close just like a movie.
My husband driving carefully in all the panic and traffic my cats afraid confused and meowing I in the back seat with them because they are not in carriers im stressing to keep them calm and safe as well as my husband and myself I give my cats each drops of water on there little mouths, we finally make it out of traffic and to the parking lot at target. To try to get calm and figure something out.
I pulled out a lawn chair near a tree and we stayed there for a while I went in the store to get cat carriers while my husband stayed with the kittys and under the tree at target parking lot, I left my son a message and he met us there he do was evacuated we saw him as we were leaving loading up his trunk we honked to let him see we were on our way out along with several messages I left him on his cell phone. He lives on the next block so he was also in our mandatory evacuation.
Finally we get our heads together and calm and the kittys calm but the smoke was so thick we had to leave the parking lot we made our way to the YMCA but they were not taking pets, there was a place to leave the pets and the human society but I was not going to leave my kittys they are my family and I was going to leave that a very last resort, luckily they were with us the entire time. we were so blessed to stay free at a dorm at the collage at UCCS it was such a blessing we had private rooms and bathrooms and our kittys were with us. The red cross and salvation army were such a blessing, I cant say enough about them. The most wonderful people so very willing to help others so caring and selfless.
We were able to get meals during the day and have a place with air-conditioning and a safe place for the kittys and together in the evening.
The first night going to the college as we could see the entire neighborhood down the hill again it looked like armageddon, as the evening started to get dark the fire was going strong,hard and seemed to consume the neighborhood.
The last day was a Sunday we were told area by area mandatory evacuations would start to be lifted, and some would be able to go in their homes to gather more things and I made mental note of what I would gather on Saturday nite and early Sunday we went down to register to get a permit to go in our homes it was suppose to be a window of 12.00pm-6:00pm I made sure we were early, at registration they gave us trash bags and told us to empty the refrigerator of the food so we fist loaded the van with the things I gathered up and finished the fridge it was only an hour,, let me back up when we got to the house it looked like the rapture had taken place, hot and no one in site the street had a very few people maybe they figured they had till 6:00pm any way it was so deserted, so any way it was only an hour and the police came driving by with the horn saying to get our again that the mandatory evacuation was back and we had to leave so the folks that thought they had till 6:00pm it was only like 1:00pm so the entire experience to me,, was like the end of the world in thouse moments.
Sadly over 340 homes lost and more sadly 3 lives lost as far as I know. Today we are back in our home and as we go for our daily walks in the afternoons we see the houses burned to the ground now rebuilding the experience was one we will never forget and the new appreciation for the fist responders the red cross and salvation army they did so much more I will share in time more detail a latter time, and the community and neighbors have come together as one family not just a community one nation under God we are so very blessed,grateful,thankful to God! and learn so much during all this we as a family are even closer and appreciate every day and each other and yes we love our cats too.
