Back Home

We are back home for now. The power was restored late this afternoon, thank God, just as we were considering packing it up and going somewhere else to spend the night. Our house was never in imminent danger, although I live in an area with a large amount of brush and chaparral, so there were fire crews prowling around, looking for flare-ups caused by stray embers, which can happen faster than you could imagine.

I have to say that I have never in my life, someone who has lived here my entire life, seen anything like the inferno that is Southern California right now. So many fires, so many homes lost, so many acres burned black. It makes me ill. And what makes me more ill is that some of these fires were started by sickos who wait for exactly the conditions that we had, high winds and low humidity, to get their jollies by starting a fire.

So much destruction around here, it literally looks like a hurricane came through here, with hundreds of trees down, signs broken and bent, street lights hanging askew. Totally surreal.

And yet, where my parents live, thirty minutes to the north, no wind at all. It is crazy.

There is smoke and ash everywhere, you can't go outside. We are stuck inside, hoping that these infernal winds die down so that the firefighters can try to get a handle on the flames.

My fellow SoCal bloggers Atasha and dgm, I'm thinking of you ladies, and hoping that all is well with you, your friends, and your families.

And can I tell you how hard it is to try and shield an inquisitive five year old from the panic and dismay that you are feeling inside? Dude, it sucks.

Comments

Wow, Gina! How frightening! I hope you are over the worst now, and that the winds die down soon.

Is it just me, or do the fires get worse every year in Southern California?

I'll be thinking of you and all of those affected by the fires. Take care.

- Heidi
Awesome Mom said…
I am glad that you are back home. I hope that things return to normal soon!
Laura said…
Please be safe, Gina. That has got to be so heartbreaking. It's not right. Who could do such thing? You will be in my thoughts.
Suzanne said…
So glad you're okay.
chichimama said…
Glad you are OK, and I so hope this all ends soon for everyone in California...
Ted said…
I'm glad you and your fam are okay! Even though the actual fires don't really pose a danger to you, the ash and high winds are pretty dangerous. I can't believe 85 mph winds. What coast are we living on?
Patois42 said…
Thank goodness you and yours are okay. I hope this ends mighty soon for you.
Sunshine said…
Glad you posted, I was going to email you this morning and check up to see if you were affected by the fires.

I hope things are under control and safe soon.
Anvilcloud said…
This would be extremely stressful. I trust that all will return to normal soon.
Heather Plett said…
We were watching it on the news last night and I thought of you. I'm glad you're safe and I hope you stay that way. Pretty scary stuff.
J said…
Thanks for posting. Like Heather, I watched the news before bed, and that is one horrible mess going on there. At that point, last night, it was already 500 homes lost, and 100 businesses. Horrid.

I woke up wondering about you. Again, I'm glad you posted.

SoCal is very much in my thoughts today.
Candy said…
I'm glad to know you're ok.

SoCal must be an absolutely amazing place to live, because between the earthquakes, the mudslides, and the fires, and the piping in the water from miles away, I can't think why anyone lives there!

Spoken from beautiful New Jersey. What's that? What exit? ha, yeah, funny....
Yea, I've been thinking about you...especially as I was watching the news this morning while getting ready for work. The devestation looks unbelievable and I'm sure being there is so much worse. Wow. I sure hope your home is not in danger. It sounds like (due to the high winds), even if you are in areas where you are far away, you are still at risk because of the winds carrying even a small ember. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Stay safe...
Liz said…
I'm glad to hear you are OK. I've been worried about you and your family.
Hope said…
Now that I know you are safe, my next pressing question..... is Disneyland still safe?? We booked our tickets yesterday!
Snow, ice and blizzards sound pretty appealing in comparision.
ML said…
I'm glad you're checking in, Gina. Been thinking about you and your family a lot.
Anonymous said…
Glad to hear that you are safe. I hope things get back to "normal" for you all soon.

It's so hard to decide what to tell kids this age. I remember A was at this age when 911 happened and we were in debate as to what was appropriate to say without instilling lots of fear.

On a completely unrelated note, stop by my blog, I have something for you there...
Autumn's Mom said…
You guys are in my thoughts.
Beenzzz said…
Wow! That's all I can muster right now. This blaze is an absolute nightmare. I too am glad that you are home. I can only imagine how hard it must be to shield your feelings from Mr. P. Hang in there. I pray that this all ends soon.
Steph said…
Glad to hear that you are okay and back at home. Here's hoping that things return to normal really soon for you and everyone else in So Cal.
Nance said…
It's so totally out of my range of experience that I literally cannot imagine it at all. Film on the news can't quite bring it home in scope. Why does it seem to me as if these past few years of weather have been unusually extreme?
Scout said…
Stay safe, Gina. Just watching the news coverage is bad enough--I can't imagine experiencing it first hand.
Quiskaeya said…
I can't stop being amazed at what you are going through! Lawd I hope the winds of change on coming soon!
Granny said…
I hope it lets up for you soon. It has to be awful for you.
dgm said…
Hey! I commented earlier thanking you for thinking of me, but I guess it didn't go through. Thank you for thinking of me. We are fine for now. However, a new fire cropped up at Pendleton this afternoon, and the black smoke is a bit unnerving. Didn't stop my husband from going surfing. After all, there was a swell and you never know when there will be more waves...
Anonymous said…
Be safe Gina. I'll be thinking about you guys and hoping those fires end quickly.
captain corky said…
It's insane! I'm glad you guys are back home and safe.
Sally said…
Glad you're back home and ok, even though it sounds like it's still pretty scary. Santa Ana winds are NOT something that I miss from CA...although, we have our share of winds around here. At least they don't fan fires.

By the way, you can watch Brothers & Sisters online at ABC. My HD and DVR screwed up this week, so that's what I had to do.

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