[Gathnet] after the fire

[Stuart Gathman]

Dear Gathnetters, and friends,
This is a shot description of our fire experience. We are all fine including the cats.  Our only loss was an unfinished tool shed, some tools and my DR Brush cutter, plus a load of freezer and icebox stuff.  Anita and family went home on Friday, Jim and family went home on Thursday I believe.  The Lord is good.

I have never been through anything like this before.  It was all so unreal. The Santa Anna winds were blowing very strong all Saturday night and Sunday last,  In the late afternoon on that Sunday, our power went off and thus our water.  We managed that night with out power or water and I was going to bring up the tractor with it's generator in the morning.   Then came the reverse 911 call preparing us for  evacuation on Monday morning a week ago.  Then the sheriff deputies came to the door and told us to GET OUT!   I was rather reluctant at first and stood looking at the fire behind Lyon's Peak.  It was spreading really fast.   At first it would apparently die down a bit then upwind there would be white smoke  racing along and then that would result in a huge plume of black smoke which would sort of slack off then another white plume of smoke way upwind and the process would repeat it self.   I finally decided that I needed to get Anne out of here but where????  The Lord again was looking out for us.   They had an evacuation place at the local high school gym but I wasn't anxious to expose Anne's open wound to all of the germs floating around in close quarters like that.  Some angelic friends of ours from Casa de Oro church insisted that Anita's family, Beth, Anne and I stay at their home during the evacuation.

I swiftly packed what I thought we would need for a trip out of the area, several terabytes of digital info on hard drives of family photos, tax returns, books, movies, and music.  My laptop, pills, a change of cloths, toiletries, cat, Anne's walker into the back of the Isuzu.  We locked the house up and took off.  I was wondering if we even could leave the area since the main interstates out of SD were closed.   We were among the 650,000 other evacuees with the same dilemma.  I was worried about what we would do if the house burned.....  get out of the area, buy a trailer and split our time between kids and friends or what.  I don't know if I could really handle all the hassle that is required to rebuild.

So we stopped by the Moodies, the friends who had called us and asked us to stay with them.  They were so cheerful and kind that we took them up on the offer at least we thought until we could get "out of Dodge".  That night there was even a possibility that they would have to evacuate also.  But again the Lord was good and the fire stopped at the foot of Mt. Miguel by the reservoir.  

We made it through that day and the next glued to their TV and our laptops. Later in the week Eve, one of our friends called her ex husband who knew people who were fighting the fire in our area.  He let us know that our home was safe as he talked to someone who had personally been here.  This really put my mind at ease.  As time went on, we found more personal assurances that our home was save.  We even saw a Utube video of a couple of guys who drove around the hairpin curve of Lyons Valley Dr and Harper Ranch Rd.  Each day we had good company, good food and in general a vacation.   We were finally allowed back on Sat. p.m.  I did an expedition to spot out the place late Sat.  The power came on while we were here  but it was so late, We decided to stay with the Moodies another day and come home Sunday while Anne went to church with the family.  A whole squad of eleves in the form of our older grand children came over on Sunday morning and helped me clean up the place.  (The power is on and we thus have clear fresh well water and we have fetched our cats)  The Lord is surely a wonderful Lord.   I was thinking about Ps 23 when the Psalmist talks about going through the valley of the shadow of death (the fire and possibility of being homeless) I will fear no evil.   Thou preparest a table before me. (The Moodies table) in the presence of mine enemies (the fire) Surely Goodness and Mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.    I learned this psalm in vacation Bible school many many years ago and it came to my mind as I realized that I was actually living out this psalm.

I know that we have had prayers from all over the world.  From Africa (Bishop Mpango), from Israel (Judy White) and from Papua New Guinea (The Glennens) as well as many from all over the United States.  Thank you all so much for your prayers and concerns.

Love, der alt Grossvater and Ima
  
_________________________________________________________________
Climb to the top of the charts!  Play Star Shuffle:  the word scramble challenge with star power.
http://club.live.com/star_shuffle.aspx?icid=starshuffle_wlmailtextlink_oct