Doug Ernst Reporter
I’ve known Russ Lee for more than five years — longer than some in MDI, not as long as others. After I learned he had lost his Santa Rosa home in the Tubbs Fire on Oct. 9, I called him. He and his wife were living in a trailer on a friend’s property and he said he felt lucky to be alive.
The following excerpts are taken from his Facebook postings over the past month. Russ has remained positive throughout his ordeal, as readers will see when they read his comments and observations. He has come to accept help from others and gave his permission to use these posts to help Legacy Magazine readers get a sense of what it was like to lose everything except the most important things in life.
“I look at this as a blessing in disguise,” Russ told me on Nov. 8. “Even though the road to the blessing hasn’t been revealed to me yet, I feel it coming. There are still days and hours of dark stuff, but the motor home is getting fixed and we rented a place in Bodega Bay.”
He said he has never been closer to his wife, Monica.
“Our kitty sat with me during my nap, and I feel halfway human. I hope my son opens up and gets what I have to share with him. It is clear that focusing on the little blessings help. We look at our cats. We get our mail. My wife caught me looking at her butt. Being with her, especially last week, has just been wonderful. She is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with; I want to take care of her,” he said.
Russ is still working as a real estate agent, says he might rebuild or he might take a road trip across the country and “never come back.” He’s negotiating with insurance agents, wrestling with paperwork and talking almost every day with men in his circle.
“I want to be the rock for my wife, solid and focused, going forward. I still believe in the Constitution and love God, country and family.”
Click Here to Contribute to Russ Lee’s GoFundMe
Entries below cited from Russ Lee’s Facebook Timeline.
10-9-17 1:41 a.m.
We had to evacuate
10-10-17
Download this app. It helped me to get out in time. After you download tune into, “Sonoma County Fire and CAL FIRE Dispatch.”
I am following so many things — family friends neighbors out of state realtors and clients. I’m in shock as to all that is going on. The internet access is shrinking dally. Love to stay in touch. I’m in Sebastopol now. OK. Have a place to be. If you need something I’ll try to help or connect you to someone that can. My number is 707-888-8791. DO NOT CALL! TXT only working well right now. Keller Williams Cares will be arriving at our 120 Stonypoint Rd Office Santa Rosa CA in the next few days. More to come around this. Please download “Scanner Radio” it saved my life. GOD BLESS. Love, Russ Lee.
My family used to like to help in hard times. Richard, where are you? Rich, I saw what you did in India how about some help in the USA? Geoffrey, why will you not help to make things better? Paul, kick some more ASS. Barbie, push for real peace. Dr Phill, thank you for all you do. In any case, My Family used to Kick Ass to make things better. Where are you now? We need you now!
10-13-17
As of around 9:45pm last night
The Tubbs fire is 25% contained
Atlas fire 3% contained
Partrick/Carneros fire 2% contained
Nuns fire 3% contained
This is a lot better than the zero percent containment, we had a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
10-14-17
Great info for those who lost homes: Remember to turn off your auto pays
Reposting … all who are far from you are thinking about you and sending love! We know that won’t put out fires, but it’s all we have for you in this moment! Stay safe!
THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. PLEASE READ.
Being in business as many years as I have has taught me to keep a cool and logistic mind during crisis…
- Property Taxes are due in December. If you’ve lost your home do some research before you send them a check. You can’t be taxed on a home that doesn’t exist. Property tax is also based on the purchase price and perhaps value of the property. If there has been damage that may have changed.
- Contact the Garbage Co. Don’t pay for service you’re not receiving. In my case even if I had garbage a truck couldn’t even make it up my street,
- Do you have a telephone land line? If you did, you don’t anymore. No sense paying a phone bill for a residence that no longer exists
- Did you home have WIFI? You won’t be needing that anymore. Better phone them before the next bill comes.
- Make sure you figure out where you want your mail to go and immediately put in a forwarding address with the Post Office. Another option would be to open a P.O. Box where available.
- Did you have a Passport and was it destroyed? The wait is going to get longer. Put in for a new one asap
- No sense paying a water bill monthly for a home that doesn’t exist. Call the water co.
- Do you have a propane tank? If it exploded let them know asap. You rent that! Also cancel the delivery. If the tank didn’t explode, tell them to come and get it. You won’t be needing that for a while.
- Did you have tickets for an upcoming show? Whether they were hard tickets that were mailed to you or tickets you printed from on-line, you need to contact the sell and get them replaced or re-issued. They’re not going to be interested in your sob story at the door.
- During the breaks in your tears, take a deep breath, print this and really think about anything I may have missed. I doubt if I remembered everything. I too just lost my home and everything in it. My brain and heart are a little busy right now.
(It’s probably not a bad idea to pass this on to your friends and family or have been involved)
Sharing from Hotel Petaluma Update: We’ve lined up meals for the next couple of days and we have many, many more offers. We have donations and volunteers available. But most of our beds are empty.
Please spread the word that we have a very calm comfortable space. If there isn’t a need, then that’s great because that means people have places to go. We just want to make sure we are here if there are people in need. Call the front desk for info
Thank you all for your encouragement and support, which has enabled us to give back.
FEMA Local Assistance Center is now open at the Press Democrat building downtown (427 Mendocino Ave.). The LAC is a one – stop shop for accessing services. On site is: FEMA, DMV to help recover lost documents and IDs, Red Cross, insurance companies, the Small Business Administration, and county mental health and veteran services (and much more!) The LAC will be open 9am-7pm for the next few weeks as people begin working to rebuild what has been lost
URGENT: NO FLYING DRONES!!
Posted by a SR firefighter & need to pass on….
“Please. Put your damn drones away. Do NOT fly drones to try and see the fires or your house. If a drone is in the air, all Fire and Emergency Air support must be cancelled.”
Please share! Copy and paste if no share button.”
Was out today trying to find our cat we could not get out of the house. No luck yet. Went to the Keller Williams office on Stony Point Rd and picked up some supplies. Took care of some more paperwork as well. Then went to Outback for steak dinner. Yum. Walmart is next to Outback so we picked up some supplies. PG&E was passing out pizza to the campers in the parking lot. Monica and I are working hard at being nice to each other. The stress is out of this world. We are now back in Sebastopol for the night. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. May God bless all those in need. Prayers to all in need. Now it’s time for a paper cup of wine.
10-15-17
Morning update:
Fire teams were able to weather the night and there has been no significant new damage.
The priorities for the day will include reentry and repopulation. Kaiser has a lot of work to do before the hospital can reopen, but crews will be working to get the medical offices open today. Sutter is trying to reopen by Tuesday.
“Repopulation” is getting residents who were evacuated, but the area did not see significant fire, back into their homes. Today we are focused on getting people back into Bennett Valley, Skyhawk, and Summerfield areas. This will only be done once the safety of the area has been assessed.
“Reentry” is specifically for areas that have been devastated but the fire. Once the safety of the area has been assessed, the National Guard is going to assist with bringing neighbors in. I’ll have more on this process later, but the concern is that they can’t just throw open the roadblocks or they risk additional looters as people pretend to be the owner of the home. (On that note, happy to report that SRPD has been patrolling and responding to calls and have made many arrests of looters). Emergency services also needs to search neighborhoods for deceased members of our community before reentry can begin.
Cal OES has 20,000 kits coming for residents that contain heavy duty gloves and masks – it’s important to remember that the debris is toxic. We are turning our attention towards clean up and rebuild.
Some additional notes:
If you have reported someone missing and then they were found, please let the Sheriff’s office know so they do not use resources trying to find that person.
The Local Assistance Center is open, but don’t be surprised to find a wait initially. That’s normal.
Santa Rosa City Bus is free and running on a “Saturday” schedule. SMART is free as well.
As of 10/15/17 7:21AM
- Tubbs Fire…35,470 acres…60% contained
- Pocket Fire…11,246 acres…25% contained
- Nuns Fire…47,106 acres…25% contained
- Oakmont Fire…550 acres…15% contained
Notes
- 407 Fire Engines
- 46 Water Tenders
- 7 Helicopters
- 7 Air Tankers
- 73 Hand Crews
- 81 Bulldizers
- 3,749 personnel
So I have a scripture to share with all of my Sonoma County Residents and beyond from the New Testament…
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Few ramblings from today. Sunday can’t believe it has been a week. Feels like a day. Slept in no alerts or evaluation notices. Put on my new sweats last night wore them all day. Went to Walmart again. I fit right in. Parking lot full of fire fighter’s and campers. McDonald’s did not charge the fire folks. Also picked up cat box and food for the boys. Got to sign taxes tomorrow. Be good to find a place to dump the holding tanks and the trash. Cooling off a bit. Need to get RV organized at some point. Hard to think clearly still. Making to do list. Talked with ins today and got a to do list from them. Working slowly to put a plan together. Breathe and smile. One step at a time.
10-16-17
I think it’s Monday. Today’s breakfast will be ibuprofen scrambled with a muffin and coffee. Smile has ash on it so I’ll wash it and put back on. Going to office on Stony Point for meeting at noon. Think we’ll be able to get up to the house today. Perhaps we will find our kitty. So many details to take care of. Hard to do with foggy mind. Breathe one step at a time. Breathe again.
Wow what a day! My company Keller Williams Realty gave me cash tools and gift cards. Thanks to Palo Alto Keller Williams and Silicon Valley Keller Williams for adopting me and their gifts today. Work on a couple of deals and we may save them yet. At a friend’s house in Santa Rosa. God bless you Patty for opening your door to us today. Now back to the wine and some laughing. God bless us all.
10-17-17
Today is Tuesday. It was great to laugh last night. Today will be a busy day. Heading to office to shower and get back to work. Breakfast today will be peanut butter and blueberries. Still can’t get up the hill to check for the kitty. Perhaps this afternoon. Gotta get going. Blessings to all.
10-18-17
Two hard boiled eggs and pork rinds for breakfast. No Ibuprofen so far today. Oh and too much coffee. Running around working on disaster stuff. Still can’t get up the hill. Do you remember the picture of that guy on the rocket sled? You know with his face all pushed back? That’s how I feel. Breathe one step breathe.
End notes to the day. Got connected with FEMA today. Only took an hour after the web site crashed on me. Not sure how much help they will be really. Worked on several real estate deals. Boy some folks can turn in to assholes during hard times. Nuf about that. Still not thinking clearly. Walk to the other end of the RV (like 4 steps) and forget why. Blessed to have good peoples home to park in front of for now. So hard to accept help still. Guilt or foggy mind. Not sure which. Neighbor came by and gave us some fruit she got for her horse. Told us the horse did not make it through the fire. Monica and I both cried looking at the fruit. One of my good friends will be taken off life support on Friday. SHIT and Fuck is all I can say about that. My problems are not so bad and time, work and prayer will heal them anyway. Every day I talk with my best bud. Really helps to make tomorrow a brighter day. Ok one beer left. Gonna have that then bed. God bless you all for your offers of help and support. I will call when I know what I need. Love to you all oh and hug each other when you get the chance. Night.
10-19-17
This is going to be kinda running story of our upcoming adventures. This morning’s breakfast was coffee and quiche (ham and cheese) from Oliver’s market. Yum. At my office now catching up on biz. Happy to have the work to take my mind off the crap. Brian came by with some much needed supplies. Good to see his smiling face. Today’s biggies will be cleaning the RV, dumping the holding tanks, finding somewhere to dump trash and washing clothes. Still no word about when we will get to go in look for kitty and say bye to the old homestead. Lots of people are asking what I need. If you find a way to get my body 30 years younger let me know. I will share the secret. Washed the smile and it’s where it belongs again. Love to you all.
Wow End of day. Feels like the to-do list keeps getting longer. A very good friend of mine was taken off life support today. Randy I will miss you. Another had a stroke however he is doing better and is out if ICU. Come back to us strong Scott B. The transmission on the RV started making noise today as well. Yeah I needed that like a hole in the head. Well nuff of the downer stuff. Today got almost 2 mil worth of business handled. Was there for my wife and spent time with our other 2 kitties. Rebecca came up to Santa Rosa bought me lunch and a bottle of awesome wine. Cara sent my wife a sweet gift that wifey loved. Ok so here is the plan: get agents in office to help (no problem there) find place to stay while RV gets worked on, take care of fire/ins, do laundry (no time today) sneak away and cry for a bit, after that say thank you to God… friends and family for all you do. Oh just to let you all know I can feel deep inside a seed of joy growing slowly. When I touch it with my heart my tears turn to Joy. Good night moon and thanks for the RAIN! Today.
10-20-17
Crazy morning. Work was like wall papering in a tornado. Found someone to work on the motor home and he will move his work load around to fit us in. Slowly asking for help as the light shines brighter on the need. Looking for a place to stay while the motor home gets worked on. Need room for the cats so we’ll see. Ton to do so off to work again. Update tonight.
End of day. Went into the office late. The whirlwind of work continued. Now down to a breeze Had to crawl under the motor home and get picture of the transmission. . Found someone to help with the motor home and it looks like we have a place to stay while the work goes on. Phew. Got a couple of agents in my office to help with work. How am I? Do you know those streams of txt that run under the news? You know the ones that repeat with the bullet points of the news. Well I’ve got those running through my mind. In this case they are to do list and bits of plans for the future running along and repeating. Prayer one step breathe repeat. Oh and smile and count the blessings. Thank you all for all you do.
10-21-17
End of day. Stress-O-Meter still hitting a 9. Got in to see the old house today. Only thing I could find was our beloved cast iron frying pan. No sign of our kitty. Went back to the motor home and napped. Took care of some clients early this morning and I know Brady will do a great job with a new buyer. Details of what’s next are slowly coming into view. Monica and I had a good heart to heart talk and a cry. Tomorrow will be about organizing and planning. Smile kept falling off but I still have it. One of my best real estate clients sent me this and said don’t forget to laugh. Thank you James H. OH and some are new and helped the smile stick to my face better.
“Lexophile” describes those that have a love for words, such as “you can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish,” or “To write with a broken pencil is pointless.” An annual competition is held by the New York Times see who can create the best original lexophile. This year’s winning submission is posted at the very end.
No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.
If you don’t pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.
I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can’t put it down.
I didn’t like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.
Did you hear about the crossed-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn’t control her pupils?
When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble.
When chemists die, they barium.
I stayed up all night to see where the sun went, and then it dawned on me.
I changed my iPod’s name to Titanic. It’s syncing now.
England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.
Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes.
This girl today said she recognized me from the Vegetarians Club, but I’d swear I’ve never met herbivore
I know a guy who’s addicted to drinking brake fluid, but he says he can stop any time.
A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
When the smog lifts in Los Angeles U.C.L.A.
I got some batteries that were given out free of charge.
A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.
A will is a dead giveaway.
With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
Police were summoned to a daycare center where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.
Did you hear about the fellow whose entire left side was cut off? He’s all right now.
A bicycle can’t stand alone; it’s just two tired.
The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine last week is now fully recovered.
He had a photographic memory but it was never fully developed.
When she saw her first strands of gray hair she thought she’d dye.
Acupuncture is a jab well done. That’s the point of it.
Those who get too big for their pants will be totally exposed in the end.
10-22-17
Sunday. Had a nice day. High points today. Many don’t know but starting at the age of 5 I went to the auto races with my dad. He raced his 356 Porsche Speedster, I watched and also pretended to be his helpful little pit crew. Often, we would watch races on TV and talk about Formula 1 racing. I tell you that to tell you this. Monica and I took it kinda easy today. With a few hours to ourselves. I found out how to stream the Formula 1 race So for a while I got to talk racing again with my dad today. At least in my own mind. Went shopping for some more clothes. It was fun-ish. Yes we did go look for our kitty again today. Think we are very done for now going to the old place. Boy do I want to be done with this and feel normal again. Patty and her sister Rhonda made us an awesome dinner tonight. Yes we had a few drinks. Starting to feel like bed time. Good night and God bless.
10-23-17
Wow. This day was amazing. Got more done this morning real estate/biz wise than I thought possible. Agents in my Keller Williams office have stepped up big time. All of a sudden, I have the kind of real estate team people dream about. More on that later. We went up to the house possibly for the last time. Can’t talk about that now. Managed to sneak into my old office today and pick up a few things. The place is full of smoke smell, but things are intact for the most part. Only found one remaining Biz Card. Receiving the gifts that people are giving me is hard. I’ve always been a lone wolf, I can do it all myself kind of guy. The only way I will make it through all this is to say Yes to the help offered along the way. Greatest gift today was from Jeff the mechanic. As soon as we are ready he will take in our motor home and make the needed repairs. What a load off my mind. Monica and I well, we are good together. This shit could divide a couple. And I know a few going through; that are. We are getting closer. God has blessed us. Thank you All for all you do!
10-24-17
Evening Report. So many people are scared out there in Sonoma County CA. What’s next, where will I live, can you get me a home, should I sell my home and get out, Just can’t decide now’s. Doing what I can to be a rock for those around me. Two friends died this week and another called and says he has cancer and wanted to know about trust. Pointed him in the right directions. Man what is going on? Perhaps it’s just part of growing older? Today I went for a walk and on Facebook there was Josh Weathers singing “I Will Always Love You,” the Whitney Houston rendition. Started crying and sent the link to my wife. We cried together. Simple dinner of reheated lasagna, fruit and of course a few glasses of wine. Made arrangements to get the motor home repaired next week and we got a place to stay during the work too. Cool. Paying extra attention to the exhales helps a lot. Sometimes I still forget the breathe. Always thought breathing was so easy. There is still an excitement in me about what is next. I do not know what yet. When the plan is in play I’ll share. Ok more wine now and good note moon.
10-25-17
Evening ramblings. It feels like I lost a bunch of IQ points. Simple tasks seem to take longer. Several times today just went to that place I stare out into the distance with a test pattern before my eyes. Then boom back into action again. By Friday afternoon should have the real estate stuff at a manageable level. Next 2 days will be crazy with re details and the ins adjusters will be coming by to go over our list of personal stuff. We will take the motor home to the Stony Point office and park there so we can take care of the kitties. They seem to be getting a bit grumpy today. Putting the list together has been a painful trip down memory lane. Take picture guys. All gone. Well this will be the easiest physical move I’ve ever done. This evening my buddy Brian picked me up and we went to put on a ceremony for men of Crossing the Jordan going to a men’s weekend. So cool helping men to become the man they always wanted to be. I pray they get as much as I did when I went back in 2001. It is amazing how much trash sits around when you have no trash can to dump it in. Perhaps I should ask for help with that. We are now watching Harry Potter (yes and a glass or two of wine) and chatting about tomorrow. I love paying attention to the exhale the most. There is such a letting go with the exhale. Smile, love pray on to a new day.
10-26-17
Stuff from today. And it will be rambling. This morning Monica and I went to the local burrito shop and got a couple of awesome burritos for breakfast. About 10 we met with the insurance guy for personal belongings. Man where we under insured! Not sure how long it will take to settle with then. One of the things I will miss is the badge of honor my son made for me in kindergarten. Several times today it looked like the world had gone mad. Me included. Breathe. Waved a thank you to the guy that let me in traffic. People are still driving nutty. Guess that includes me too. Not going to share the details of my frustrations, just know they were many and varied. Somehow biz got done. Got a inventory reminder sheet today. It helps to do the insurance list. If you need one let me know and I’ll get you a copy. Cooling off a bit now. The kitties were panting from the heat today. Turned the A/c on and gave them some brushing. One is on the dash and the other hiding some place. Oh got my car back today. Took a while to remember how to drive it. Six speed manual. We are thinking about a road trip when done with the paper work crap here. Have not had a vacation in many years. It’s time. My smile still works. Still feel the ember of joy inside as well. Laughed several times today as well. Don’t remember why though. Laughing is good in any case. Now where did I put my cup of wine? May: Love light and laughter be part of your day. God bless and nighty night All.
10-27-17
More stuff and ramblings. This morning had to meet inspector and client in the town of Sonoma. Roads open now. Driving over and back I felt like being in a fish bowl. Hardly recognized the area. No words come to me about what the feelings are …just numb. Got through the meeting fine and came up with some good resolutions for the issues of the day. On the way back I kept thinking, eating would be good. Could not make up my mind where. Then told my phone to navigate me to Pacific Market (could not remember the way) made a huge salad. Yum. Needed that. Worked a bit on getting my real estate support/team together for when we do our road trip. Wish I could go tomorrow. Did really well with the little aggravations and did not kill anyone today. One of the things on my list is to visit a doctor and take care of a minor issue before vacation. So many Doc’s lost their homes and service providers are out of action now. Have not been able to make an appointment yet. Think we will be in bed very early tonight. Monica makes good cookies. Staying away from all thing political now. Don’t need the aggravations. Kinda freeing.
Right now it is 5:59 and I’m beat to the bone. Never do I hit the hay before 11:pm. Tonight I think it will be much earlier than that. Got a big day tomorrow. Gotta dump the sump and trash. Woo woo. Ok going to have my evening glass of wine or 2. Feeling out of touch today with myself. Hopefully brain will be back tomorrow. Thank you for the support today. Blessing to the men going to their weekend now. Bye for now and God bless.
10-28-17 and 10-29-17
Ramblings and stuff. Most don’t know this about me. Back in the 60”s my Dad bought a converted it RV bread truck. Car guys it had a flat head six and a 3 speed. When we traveled they would make the 4 kids where helmets while going down the road. We learned motor homing early. So on Saturday I heard my Dad talking to me. “Rusty (old family name) you have to get ready for your road trip’. Ok Dad what should I do? “Go to Harbor tool and Freight and I’ll guide you.” He did and we had fun. His spirit pointed, and I bought. I could hear him say “in day we did not have that so get you some. I did. It was fun and like being in a fog as well. Today the 29th we had to go dump the holding tanks. OMG the tranny started to be weird, only 1st and 2d gear only but we got it done. Back at our temporary home base. This afternoon some nut job started harassing us WTF get lost. Who needs that with all else going on. Good stuff my Cousin Geoff is still sending me old family pics. Very cool. Found several smiles today and just as may cry’s. Biz is still going on got a new buyer today and will get him connected. Sometimes this feel like too much. Then tomorrow comes and I am still here. God has a plan and I am ready for it to unfold.
10-31-17
A Dark and Stormy Night
Bob Hill and his new wife Betty were vacationing in Europe…as it happens, near Transylvania. They were driving in a rental car along a rather deserted highway. It was late at night and raining very hard with thunder and lightning.
Bob could barely see the road in front of the car.
Suddenly, the car skids out of control! Bob attempts to control the car, but to no avail! The car swerves and smashes into a tree.
Moments later, Bob shakes his head to clear the fog. Dazed, he looks over at the passenger seat and sees his wife unconscious, with her head bleeding! Despite the rain and unfamiliar countryside, Bob knows he has to get her medical assistance. Bob carefully picks his wife up and begins trudging down the road. After a short while, he sees a light. He heads towards the light, which is coming from a large, old house.
He approaches the door and knocks.
Minute passes and a small, hunched old man opens the door. Bob immediately blurts, “Hello, my name is Bob Hill, and this is my wife Betty. We’ve been in a terrible accident, and my wife has been seriously hurt. Can I please use your phone?”
“I’m sorry,” replied the hunchback, “but we don’t have a phone. But my master is a doctor; come in, and I will get him!”
Bob brings his wife in. An older man comes down the stairs. “I’m afraid my assistant may have misled you. I am not a medical doctor; I am a scientist… However, it is many miles to the nearest clinic, and I have had a basic medical training. I will see what I can do. Igor, bring them down to the laboratory.” With that, Igor picks up Betty and carries her downstairs, with Bob following closely.. Igor places Betty on a table in the lab. Bob collapses from exhaustion and his own injuries, so Igor places Bob on an adjoining table.
After a brief examination, Igor’s master looks worried.
“Things are serious, Igor. Prepare a transfusion.”
Igor and his master work feverishly, but to no avail, and Bob and Betty Hill both passed away.
The Hills’ deaths upset Igor’s master greatly. Wearily, he climbs the steps to his conservatory, which houses his grand piano. For it is here that he has always found solace. He begins to play, and a stirring, almost haunting melody fills the house. Meanwhile, Igor is still in the lab tidying up. His eyes catch movement, and he notices the fingers on Betty’s hand twitch, keeping time to the haunting piano music. Stunned, he watches as Bob’s arm begins to rise, marking the beat! He is further amazed as Betty and Bob both sit up straight! Unable to contain himself, he dashes up the stairs to the conservatory.
He Bursts in and Shouts to his Master,
“Master, Master”
“The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music!”
I am Soooooo Sorry…..
But You Really
Should’ve Seen That Coming!!
Happy Halloween 10/31/17
A year ago and Cara did a great job on our office. We might get back in soon. It is being de-smoked and Comcast is running temp service over the sidewalk. The fire was so hot it melted the underground cables. Onwards and upward.
11-1-17
Just a quick update. Took motor home into the shop today. Poss new tranny needed. Bummer. At the Sandman hotel for a few days. Everyone has a story here. Everywhere I go someone has a fire story. For some strange reason I have been waking the last few days with a smile. No idea why. This may be hard to follow. Talked to me old next door neighbor and her contractor was at the property today when the clean up folks asked him if he knew who owned my house. They found something of value. He said let me check. He called my old neighbor. She called me and I called the clean-up crew. Anyway ended back up at the house/Ash pile. They found my coin stash in the melted 5 gal water bottle. I wanted to just leave it, but the care and love I felt from them made me say yes. Can’t tell you how but 20 min later I had a half full 5 gal bucket of old coins in the trunk of my car. The love I felt from them made my day. Oh and a few other tiny treasures ended up in the bucket as well. Wish I could pass along the care and love I received today. God blessed us with wonderful simple gifts today. I am grateful.
11-4-17
Hi All, it has been an interesting last few days. Took the motor home in for a new tranny and got a room at a FEMA hotel for a few days. Boy was that depressing. Subject for another story some other time. Well the transmission turns out to be special and will now arrive at the shop on Tuesday the 7th Our hotel room expired today, so we are at the Garage camping out back for a bit. The owner is awesome and has us plugged in. Looks like we will take a sabbatical at the end of the month. Got some great agents that will cover my biz for me while away for months. Sounds like a going away party is in order. Any ideas? Let me know. The sun is coming in the front window now. The cats are digging it. Our little home is warming nicely. Feels like nap time is coming on. Purrrrrrrr
Retweeted Dalai Lama (@DalaiLama):
The most crucial use of knowledge and education is to understand the importance of developing a good heart.
11-6-17
Ramblings and stuff. It has been hard to stay focused. So this may bounce around a bit. Noticed today the when wifey calls and ask what time I will be home I let her know. Kinda funny the home being gone and all. Which lead me to feel that home is something I can really feel in my heart. And so it is true with my wifey. Does not matter if we are in the driveway of a friend’s house or parked behind a repair shop waiting for the tranny to arrive. Hit a dark place (almost exploded/imploded) this evening at dinner. Then started working on the little blessings. Counting them small and large. Big help doing that. Watching “The Never Ending Story” now. Loved watching it with my kids back in the day. It would be great to dig my toes in the warn sands of some tropical shore right now. Oh and have one of those fruity rum drinks. Part of me is mocking up the future path to something great and talking God along the way. The light and the way will be revealed. Better is on the way. Ok now I’ll have that plastic cup of wine and finish the movie. Nite.
11-7-17
Lots of mind fog today. Not sure I pushed through it all. Keep leaving my cell phone lying around in funny places. Almost drove off with it on the roof of the car. What Realtor does that? It is 6:30 pm now and it feels like it is midnight. The other day we put a wireless camera on the lot to keep an eye out for our kitty. Check out the visitors we did get. No kitty tho. Good news the new automatic transmission arrived late today. Camping at the truck garage makes me think I should do a car biz again. No to many regulations now a days. Tomorrow is tranny install day and we have to leave. Bit the bullet and booked a VRBO in Bodega Bay till Friday. Check out my view for tomorrow night! Turned in the FEMA demolition paper work today and sent Ins inventory to adjuster. Where did I put my phone again? Wifey and I both did a great job counting blessings today despite how mad the world seems. Think a giant stepped on common sense. Feeling a connection with God like never before. Keep hearing “trust it will be ok”. Other things too but can’t articulate yet what they are. The bits and pieces are falling into place. So new hard to say what places the pieces are falling into are. Kinda like walking out on a freshly cleaned glass bridge and trusting something will be under foot with each step. Looking forward to picking up the wine and glasses from Marion and Lisa soon.
Time to fill my plastic and toast to the new times.
such a rich account for such a harsh experience. thank you for the gift that came from the ashes.