Seems unfair to have left you hanging. But then again, seems unfair to try to squeeze one more thing into an impossibly squozen (no, not a word, don't even bother trying to look it up) schedule.
So, there's this instead: The kids and I stayed with my friends on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights; Baroy picked the kids up on Wednesday afternoon while I was at work and brought them home, to a place where all evacuations had been lifted, but where the air is still considered so unbreathable that the health department doesn't want anyone opening their windows, much less playing outside.
Still, things have continued. School started today: 7th grade (first year of middle school) for Em, 3rd grade for N. Life goes on...and on, and on...which, don't get me wrong, is nothing but wonderful, though tiring.
Photos, anecdotes, maybe even a video to come. But not now. Right now, I have a bed in a cool bedroom (the only cool room in the house) waiting for me...along with my husband and my two sleeping-on-the-floor-so-they'll-be-cool-too kids. And that's where I'm headed, as soon as I finish this press release. (Yes, it's 1:13 a.m. Don't ask.)
Good night all. Good. Very good.
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Friday, September 4, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
I'll Let Twitter Tell It
@tinycoconut, Monday, August 31:
4:19 a.m.: Never a dull moment in this fire...Baroy called about half an hour ago. We got an evac order. Cops said not a huge rush, but...
4:20 a.m.: Then minutes later, call comes in that evac order lifted but ONLY for houses north of us. Which is odd, since THEY ARE CLOSER TO THE FIRE! [Edited to add: The initial call came in at around 2 a.m., I talked to Baroy at 3:45 when he called my cell, the cancellation call came in at 4:15 a.m.]
4:21 a.m.: Baroy is outside having packed the car to find out what's going on. I'm waiting for call back and looking for info online. LATimes says...
4:26 a.m.: AND I QUOTE: "Eastern flank of Station fire still active, calmer elsewhere." This at 11 p.m. Uh, thanks LAT. [Edited to add: We're part of the western flank.]
4:40 a.m.: Call back. Evac canceled for ppl south of a XX street. We're two block south, so we're OK now. Baroy's going to try to get some sleep.
4:41 a.m.: I can't imagine sleeping now, but...I probably should try. After I blog. ;-)
4:19 a.m.: Never a dull moment in this fire...Baroy called about half an hour ago. We got an evac order. Cops said not a huge rush, but...
4:20 a.m.: Then minutes later, call comes in that evac order lifted but ONLY for houses north of us. Which is odd, since THEY ARE CLOSER TO THE FIRE! [Edited to add: The initial call came in at around 2 a.m., I talked to Baroy at 3:45 when he called my cell, the cancellation call came in at 4:15 a.m.]
4:21 a.m.: Baroy is outside having packed the car to find out what's going on. I'm waiting for call back and looking for info online. LATimes says...
4:26 a.m.: AND I QUOTE: "Eastern flank of Station fire still active, calmer elsewhere." This at 11 p.m. Uh, thanks LAT. [Edited to add: We're part of the western flank.]
4:40 a.m.: Call back. Evac canceled for ppl south of a XX street. We're two block south, so we're OK now. Baroy's going to try to get some sleep.
4:41 a.m.: I can't imagine sleeping now, but...I probably should try. After I blog. ;-)
Saturday, August 29, 2009
So Far, So Smoky
It's easier to update my blog frequently than to make a million phone calls to let people know how I'm doing. If you're on Twitter (I'm @tinycoconut there) or Facebook (where I'm my 'real' name), you've heard much or all of this already. Sorry for the repeats, but...It's all fire, all the time around here right now.
Saturday, August 29
And from Baroy's Facebook page, some of his impressions from the familial front lines:
So far, though, it looks like we'll get to stay put for the time being. I'm writing this from my friends' house in Burbank, so it's not like I know this for a fact. But I'm assuming I'd have heard if Baroy had had to grab Snug and the cats and head for the hills. Or, to be more accurate, way far away from them and their 40 years' worth of brush that, as the LA Times said in one of it's reports, is literally adding fuel to the fire.
More news when I have it. Thanks for caring, all.
Saturday, August 29
10:01 a.m.: There's an awful lot of ash falling http://twitpic.com/fpv1h
11:42 a.m.: I'm good 3, 4 miles west of fire. Unhealthy air, everything covered in ash, but in no real danger re house. Just lungs!
12:31 p.m.: So forget that 3, 4 miles west of the fire thing...It's now right above our house. On the other side of the mountain, tho, so safe for now?
4:02 p.m.: Just found out that the area just TWO BLOCKS north of us and ONE BLOCK west is now under a mandatory evacuation. Holy shit.
4:02 p.m.: Never expected it to get this close...I'm actually scared now.
4:09 p.m.: Thanks, all. Gathering stuff for Baroy to put in car if evac becomes a reality. N and I going to friends'; Em to another; Baroy here for now.
7:16 p.m.: Am at friend's house in Burbank...Baroy's staying behind to keep an eye on things, but will leave if our area needs evacuating.
7:17 p.m.: There's actual AIR in Burbank...things have EDGES to them. ;-)
7:17 p.m.: I'm getting my info from LANow which is an LA Times blog. LCF site only giving info on LCF evacs.
7:18 p.m.: N is totally excited, though. His school is in the evac zone, and they're supposed to start Monday. May not be the case now!
And from Baroy's Facebook page, some of his impressions from the familial front lines:
Around 7 p.m.: They evacuated an area starting two blocks west and north of our house. The fire seems to be moving away from us in that direction, but getting a little too close for comfort right now. Water helicopters are continually flying over the house.
Around 10 p.m.: Helicopters have stopped for the night. Can see the fires on the hill ridges about 5 miles away. No evacuation on our street, but we got a neighborhood watch thing going on. So, I'm gonna go have a beer.
A few minutes later: Don't know why I just spent the last half hour cleaning up the kid's rooms. I suppose if it's going to burn down, might as well be neat.
So far, though, it looks like we'll get to stay put for the time being. I'm writing this from my friends' house in Burbank, so it's not like I know this for a fact. But I'm assuming I'd have heard if Baroy had had to grab Snug and the cats and head for the hills. Or, to be more accurate, way far away from them and their 40 years' worth of brush that, as the LA Times said in one of it's reports, is literally adding fuel to the fire.
More news when I have it. Thanks for caring, all.
LA Fires, An Update
I think Baroy's shots, taken two houses down from our house because the trees in our background got in the way, say it all.
Or we can add N's comment: Holy Moly.
(The 411: It's still on the other side of those hills, which means it's still a fair way away from us. Evacuations are in force, but they're for streets fairly far north of us, and still about a mile+ east. That said, there's no smoke-free air here, and because of that, Em, N and I are finding alternative sleeping locations for the evening, while Baroy will hold down the homestead. We have lots of really good friends, and they've all made it clear that they're here for us if we need them. We are--as much as this isn't a word I really use normally--blessed.)
Edited to add: Just found out that the area just TWO BLOCKS north of us and ONE BLOCK west is now under a mandatory evacuation. Holy shit. I would never have expected it to get this close...not any of it.
Or we can add N's comment: Holy Moly.
(The 411: It's still on the other side of those hills, which means it's still a fair way away from us. Evacuations are in force, but they're for streets fairly far north of us, and still about a mile+ east. That said, there's no smoke-free air here, and because of that, Em, N and I are finding alternative sleeping locations for the evening, while Baroy will hold down the homestead. We have lots of really good friends, and they've all made it clear that they're here for us if we need them. We are--as much as this isn't a word I really use normally--blessed.)Edited to add: Just found out that the area just TWO BLOCKS north of us and ONE BLOCK west is now under a mandatory evacuation. Holy shit. I would never have expected it to get this close...not any of it.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Fire on the Mountain
And this time, it's for real.
It's too hard to work and worry and worry and work and then try to blog on top of that. So I'll let my Twitter stream tell my tale:
So, there you have it. I'm going to take the kids--and Baroy, if he'll come--somewhere for the evening, to keep them out of the heat and smoke as much as possible. Baroy's had them at the movies today; N has a doctor's appointment later this afternoon closer to my office. So hopefully their lungs won't be completely blackened by the time they get a handle on this sucker.
But it's scary out there, man. I really wish it were only the moon this time, too.
It's too hard to work and worry and worry and work and then try to blog on top of that. So I'll let my Twitter stream tell my tale:
This "Station Fire" is WAY too close to my house. WAY. Not dangerously close--maybe 3, 4 mi away?--but too close. Em's freaking, poor kid. about 17 hours ago from TweetDeck
They're evacuating people from Station Fire to the high school directly south of me. That means they don't think fire's coming here, right? about 14 hours ago from web
I really need to stop obsessively refreshing @latimesfires and go to sleep. Anyone wanna take the sucker bet on whether that'll happen? about 14 hours ago from web
Thanks for the concern, folks. 500 houses evacuated, but a coupla miles from here. Been up since 4:45. It's hard to breathe w/o actual AIR. about 8 hours ago from web
So what's a girl to do when she can't breathe or sleep? I'm thinking of catching up on Project Runway. Then Models of the Runway, of course. about 8 hours ago from web
Ash falling like snow. I want Baroy and the kids OUT of here; they're heading to Glendale to spend time at the mall. about 6 hours ago from web
They're just not getting a handle on this fire. And it's possible that I'm going to burst into tears at any moment. For no real reason. Fun! about 3 hours ago from web
My house=just to the left of this smoke plume http://twitpic.com/flzkn 38 minutes ago from TwitterFon
(I sent that pic from the street behind my office...) 37 minutes ago from web
So, there you have it. I'm going to take the kids--and Baroy, if he'll come--somewhere for the evening, to keep them out of the heat and smoke as much as possible. Baroy's had them at the movies today; N has a doctor's appointment later this afternoon closer to my office. So hopefully their lungs won't be completely blackened by the time they get a handle on this sucker.
But it's scary out there, man. I really wish it were only the moon this time, too.
Friday, August 7, 2009
News Flash
You know I don't normally do this newsy thing, but I'm making an exception for the world's biggest matzoh ball!
Though I do have to say: 267 pounds? Pshaw. That's what one of my better 6-inch matzoh balls weigh!
Badumbum.
Monday, December 10, 2007
The News Ticker
If misery loves company, my misery is very happy: Viacom freelancers protest
This doctor (mis)treated my stepfather in 2004, robbing him of most of his sight in his left eye. My stepdad's not one of the people mentioned in this piece, so who knows who many people this fool preyed on? There are times when I wish we had a literal eye-for-an-eye justice system. I'd like to personally aim a laser at that guy's retina and burn it out in retribution. I'm guessing my mom would rather it be done more painfully--perhaps with a spoon and without anesthesia?
The report from N's private speech eval came in. There's nothing in there that I didn't know, except for the first time I have a piece of paper that says he has a speech disorder and has a specific diagnostic code next to it. (Now all I need is health insurance...) So that's good. Besides, who can complain about an evaluation that calls your kid "a sweet, charming and delightful little boy"? I'll provide more detail later, but suffice it to say it says everything I'd hoped it would say.
This doctor (mis)treated my stepfather in 2004, robbing him of most of his sight in his left eye. My stepdad's not one of the people mentioned in this piece, so who knows who many people this fool preyed on? There are times when I wish we had a literal eye-for-an-eye justice system. I'd like to personally aim a laser at that guy's retina and burn it out in retribution. I'm guessing my mom would rather it be done more painfully--perhaps with a spoon and without anesthesia?
The report from N's private speech eval came in. There's nothing in there that I didn't know, except for the first time I have a piece of paper that says he has a speech disorder and has a specific diagnostic code next to it. (Now all I need is health insurance...) So that's good. Besides, who can complain about an evaluation that calls your kid "a sweet, charming and delightful little boy"? I'll provide more detail later, but suffice it to say it says everything I'd hoped it would say.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)