Wild Fire

A wildfire began Thursday afternoon and then Friday morning the winds kicked up and things got crazy.  Today they report it burned 5,676 acres.  These pictures were taken from my upstairs window.  Thank goodness no homes were damaged and there was only one injury reported of a firefighter with minor burns.  Hope he recovers fast.  Big BIG shout out to all the firefighters who kept the fire away from our homes!

Time to panic & pack, 

or pack & panic...

How do you decided what to try and save?  

I just felt blessed to have the option!

I gathered all of Joe's irreplaceable items, then important personal and business documents, family pictures and finally ALL of my genealogy...everything else is replaceable.

My Dad & Joan drove down and took the truck home with them and Athena came and loaded everything into the RV and then took the car to her house.  Adam and Athena's neighborhood was also on standby evacuation, and neighborhoods around them were evacuated. 

Once I had the RV packed and I was ready to evacuated if needed, I was able to calm down.

 A couple of  hours later and they mandated more evacuations further north of where I live.  As of today 588 homes were evacuated--394 homes in Saratoga Springs and 194 in Eagle Mountain.  

 Flames!

 This helicopter worked all day long and into the evening.  

It would go fill up with water at the lake and then dump water on the fire.  Saturday morning, it was back on the job fighting the hot spots.

On Friday, there were about 300 people fighting the fire, 3 helicopters, 17 engines, 4 water-feeders, and 1 sky crane helicopter who was grounded at times because of high winds.

 Into the afternoon and the fire begins moving further south.

We were so blessed because the smoke kept blowing north away from us.  

In the evening it got a little smokey but not too bad considering how much smoke the fire was producing!

Sunset and the fire moves down the canyon.

  Sunset smoke.

 Thank you emergency personnel and firefighters!

About 10 pm and I cannot settle down to fall asleep. 

 I keep checking and the flames have me very worried.

Every couple of hours I woke up and the flames were still burning.

And then this morning a beautiful thing...

 ...no smoke and no flames just scarred land!  

The helicopters and small planes have been working all morning and it is comforting to hear the hum of their engines.

 Today around 12:30 the winds started blowing and the smouldering turned to smoke.

If it flares up I am ready and the RV is packed!

Thank you everyone for your prayers, calls and messages.  I appreciate your kindness and concern.

sources and for more information:  

Salt Lake Tribune

KSL

Welcome Missy

Raegan Emaline Smith

born June 14, 2012.

Can you believe all that hair?  This little sweetheart makes 8 grandchildren.  Six since Joe died, and I often reflect how jealous he probably is not being able to hold, hug, kiss, and tease each one of them.  However, all that being said, it makes my journey in widowhood a little easier!

Congratulations Smith's, especially Matt and Kaleb on their new little sister!

Last month I traveled to Iowa to do some family history work.  Des Moines was a beautiful little city, but there was something very remarkable I learned from the drivers there.

Des Moines drivers are the most kind and considerate driver's I have ever encountered!  I was driving like a tourist, trying to read street signs and follow my navigation system.  Unintentionally, there were several times that I pulled out in front of other cars, needed to squeeze in front of someone, or drove too slow.  However, I was not honked at a single time.  Nope, not once.

It was contagious, and I noticed I began to be a more compassionate driver.  So, as I get back to Utah and am driving in traffic, I repeat to myself, "Be like an Iowa driver."

It is easy to drive "nice" when everyone is driving nice, not so easy when everyone is not driving "nice!"  Maybe I'll print up a little card to put in my car as a reminder of my travels to Iowa and a personal lesson I learned from the drivers there!

Kudos to the Mommies

Last Monday four of my little grandchildren, ages 8 to 1, came and stayed with me for three days.  Right after their parents left, they were running excitedly through the house.  Giggles, hugs, kisses, laughs, and happy screams filled my house.  Tears sprang to my eyes as I thought to myself, "These are the sounds that this large home needs to fill it with love."  I sat there and let it all soak in; the fun excitement of an extended stay at grandma's with no parents!

About 9 hours later, as I let the dogs out the garage door and "someone" twice let the three dogs through the front door the screams of herding the dogs and grandchildren were not so pleasant.  My back hurt from carrying a one year old and gardening, and four children shivered from running through the sprinklers...They still needed baths and pajamas and I was beat!

I thought to myself, "Mommies are hero's!"  That thought continued to run through my mind as I tried to keep up over the next couple of days. 

So, to all of you Mommies out there---you are hero's and kudos to you and all you do!

Half Way There

Bragging a little!  It is so rewarding and fun to index, and it gives me something worthwhile to do while I watch movies or am under the weather!  Sign up and try it!