no april foolin'

normally "putting out fires" is just a saying but last night it was the real deal for our next door neighbors. there were 13 or more firetrucks and emergency vehicles on our street from about 8 pm to 11 pm. js had already left for a meeting at church, when the neighbor on the other side of us knocked on our door. pbs and i were already ready for bed in our pajamas and bare feet. our neighbor said that the other neighbor's house was on fire. no april foolin'!

now having lived through wild fires, being evacuated, not knowing if we would have a home to go back to...my mind was racing! i was home alone with pbs and i didn't have a car. what should i grab if i needed to get out fast? a normal person might grab important papers, pictures, sentimental things, etc. the last time we went through this, i grabbed my shoes...all of my shoes! let's just say i don't do well in this sort of situation. i panic and stress and worry like there is no tomorrow, which i guess could've been the truth. i pretty much turn into a frozen idiot/pile of mush.

last night was no different. i had flashbacks to being evacuated and started shaking. i tried to keep myself calm so that i could take care of pbs and not scare him too much. i called js and he came home from his meeting to be with us and make sure that everything was okay. pbs and i were crying when js got home. he was able to calm us both down and be strong for all of us.

i feel very fortunate to be able to say that we have no damage but at the same time i feel very sad and sorry for the family next door. we don't know for sure what started the fire and i don't know that we will know. i don't think i really want to know, although if it's something wrong with wiring or something like that maybe i should know.

no april foolin' here!