Bag lady

I've been crocheting my little heart out trying to get my projects done and hat orders filled and squares made for the SD wildfire project. I wish I could wiggle my nose and get the house cleaning done and paperwork in order so I had more time to crochet. Oh well, sleep isn't that important right?



This week I've finished up three bags. The sling bag( http://members.aol.com/lffunt/tote.htm) I used a pattern except I used SWS and felted it just for a few minutes to close up any holes. The other two bags were just crocheted as I went along. I had some huge handles left over from a lot that I bought at an estate sale. So of course I had to crochet a very large bag to go along with it. I've already sold it, so it will have a home this coming Thursday night when I go to the Oceanside Sunset Market.




Most of today was spent helping out my dad itemize everything down to the toothpicks he had in his house when the fire occurred. It's so amazing how fast things add up. He was getting tired after about hour three. To be honest so was I. The whole thing is just emotionally draining. Only one thing left to do tonight and then it's back to the couch to finish up some squares!

What's left after the fire

On October 22, 2007 the unthinkable happened, my father's home of 20 years was one of the victims of the San Diego wildfires. We've all seen with our eyes what devastation fire does to homes, land and lives. But I don't think I've ever really grasped that feeling until now. This is a little bit of happened during the firestorm.

Monday morning started out as it's usual self. Get the kids up , make lunches, say good bye to the husband, walk the girls to the bus stop (this happens in two separate cases). I took my first trip with Hannah. While we were walking we saw some smoke on the horizon. I mentioned that it was a bit odd for someone to have a fire going in their home during this time of year. Hannah then said "maybe they are having a controlled burn?" I explained to her that they couldn't do that right now because of the Santa Ana winds and how dry it is right now. So we kept walking and thought nothing of it. On my second trip down the driveway we met up with some neighbor friends and we were then informed that there was a fire in Fallbrook as well as the Rice Canyon fire. It's a bit scary knowing there are not very many ways out of Fallbrook in case of an emergency. When the bus pulled up the driver said there was already firemen there at the scene and it looks like they got it out. So we put the kids on the bus and went home.

Not two hours later did I get a call from my neighbor that works in town. She said that it was so smokey and they were evacuating a near by school. I had been glued to the news so I knew it could be possible that the fire was getting close. She asked if I wanted her to pick up my girls when she picked her kids up. I figured it wouldn't hurt so I gave her the go ahead. Within 20 minutes I was getting the evacuation calls from schools. Good thing we were a little ahead of the game. While she was getting the little ones I ran to the high school and picked up our son. The fire was now in Fallbrook and raging.

Our phone was ringing off the hook. People wanting to know how close it was to our house. It was miles away. We live on the outskirts of Fallbrook but very close to Camp Pendleton where the fire was clearly going to end up. My friend Michelle called and told me they were evacutaing my dad's mobile home park. And the fire was very close. In a panic I called dad's work and he answered the phone. I told him waht I had heard and he broke down crying telling me that he had just got there in time to get his cat and a change of clothes and that was it. The sheriff and fire department where already ther and we not letting anyone in to their homes. Ohhhh, my poor daddy. I told him to come to our house when he could. While we were waiting on dad we found out that Valley Oaks was on fire and not many homes were going to make it. But there was still hope.

By 2:30 pm I was packing my house running around trying to figure out what goes and stays. The word on the news was Fallbrook was being evacutated. Of course all my photos and files were in the car. I told my kids to pick out some clothes and anything that would make thier lives sad not to have. Hannah picked up her school books! That girl loves school. I must have gone into my sewing room a dozen times. Just to look at all my yarns, fabrics and books. There was no way I could get that stuff in my volvo and have room for the dog,cat,parrot and kids and me! It's only yarn I tried to console myself.

We got the reverse 911 call around 3:30. I calld Damon and told him what was going on. He's building a house up the street from us and he was securing the site and his tools in case looters came because of all the evacutaions. He told me to go on up to his mom and dad's with the girls and he, Chaz and dad would follow us after he got some stuff in the truck and RV. The girls and I left and it took us 55 minutes to get somewhere tht usually takes us 15 minutes. There were cars overheating and pulled over on the side of the road. It was sureal. Straight out of a movie!

Damon, Chaz,dad and my brother Troy (he lives up the street) all stayed home during the week of evactuation. It was scary knowing they were all home but reassuring to know that our house was safe and getting fire updates. The boys would take our jeep and drive through all the back roads to see where the fires were during the evenings. We weren't getting much Fallbrook news and there were tons of rumors going around about the town being on fire. We were the first neighborhood to be allowed back into Fallbrook. But once we were home they said you couldn't drive around at all. So we bought groceries and water before we came into Fallbrook. It was great to be home but still very scary knowing there was still fire in our area.

After things calmed down a bit and it was safe to go back,my dad went to his house. It wasn't saved. Burnt to the ground, nothing left. Except this piece of pottery of a woman holding her baby that my dad brought home from Mexico for me. It was still at his house on an end table. Everything else around it burnt. It was so amazing to see how hot that fire got. It melted the inside of the quaters he had rolled on his dinner table, the sides of his mobile home were reduced to puddles of aluminum.

Two things good from this have happened. We definitely have become a closer knit family. Even my aunts,cousins and close friends have all been so supportive of dad. And my Fiber Therapy group that I belong to and still have yet to meet any of those ladies (my life keeps getting in the way). They have started the most amazing blanket project for giving back to those that have lost their homes. If you (or someone you know) crochet or knit and would like to help out click on the button on my side bar to find out all the information. I woul djust like to say thank you now to all the ladies that are making this project happen and I'm proud to be a part of it too.

I hope that everyone is recovering from this devistation. It will take a long time to get back to "normal"(whatever that means). All we can do is be supportive of our community and help out in any way possible.