Dearest FlyLady and Crew:

I live in northern CA and we have had a horrible summer this year.  Very high heat and winds have cause multiple wildfires.  Many people have lost their homes and some people have even lost their lives.  Last night, it was our turn.

A very, very fast moving fire was headed directly for our neighborhood.  Power lines were burned and we lost electricity on a 100 degree, extremely smokey afternoon.  Without TV, I was using my cell phone to keep track of the situation, but my cell phone battery dwindled quickly and I had no way to recharge it.  I have asthma and without the air conditioning to cool and filter the air, it quickly became difficult to breathe.  When homes two blocks away were put under mandatory evacuation, I decided to leave for my son’s house a mile away.

Several months ago, you wrote about the importance of being prepared for emergencies.  I haven’t completed everything on your list, but I have made some progress.  All important documents are in a small lock box: birth certificates, marriage certificate, passports, car titles, home and car insurance, Hubby’s military retirement papers, a list of all critical websites and passwords (bank, investments, insurance, credit cards).  I have a list of other important things taped on the back of the closet where the documents are stored:  laptop and cord, cell phone and charge cord, documents, clothing and shoes list, CPAP breathing machine, medications and vitamin supplements, expensive jewelry, cash.  Because I do a load of wash per day, all my clothes were clean, folded and put away.  It was easy to grab a few pair of pants, several shirts, undies and socks in case I had to be gone for several days.  The car had plenty of gas and I had some cash in my wallet.  Even with the lights out, I was able to grab everything and leave in 10 minutes.

The next morning, I returned to very smokey, but intact home.  A few loads of laundry to get the smoke smell out, a quick dusting and vacuuming, and everything was fine.  This would not have been the case before I started decluttering because there was so much stuff piled everywhere that vacuuming and dusting took days to complete.

I recently bought some of your new silver rags on sale but had not opened the box when they arrived because I did not have room for them.  So I took the opportunity to declutter a bunch of old faded towels and purple rags to make room for the new ones.  I don’t need very many cleaning towels anymore because your products work so well.  The local animal shelter was in the direct path of the fire and all the pets had to be evacuated.  Luckily the main buildings were saved, but they lost several storage sheds and all the animals’ bedding was too smoke-filled to be healthy.  The facility had a lot of smoke damage that had to be cleaned top to bottom.  I decluttered some old blankets, ran them through the wash with the old towels and rags, and dropped them off at the shelter.  They were ever so grateful.

One thing I realized is that if the fire had reached our home, we would have lost all our family photos.  Pictures of our grandparents and parents who passed many years ago.  Pictures of my babies and grandbabies.  Wedding photos.  My next big project is to scan and save these precious memories on a small thumb drive that will fit into the lock box.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your continual reminders to take care of our homes and ourselves.  I don’t always follow everything you say, but I am getting better.  And my home is starting to be a refuge of peace, even in the midst of a disaster.

Flybaby Louise