Sunday, April 21, 2013

and the flames burned on.....


We finally sent my mom over to her best friend’s house. The girls went with her too. Belen is earth mother. She took over taking care of the three of them. She cooked them breakfast and made sure that they were fed. Then she put the girls to work, she sent them with food for Loren because as she put it “I know teenage boys and they are always hungry.”

A neighbor from down the street brought breakfast for at least six people from McDonalds with coffee and orange juice. The kindness of strangers, neighbors and friends 2D and 3D. This is going to be a trend. We ate as we could, after Scotty was able to go in the house to get keys he was able to move my van out of the drive way. My poor melted van. Thankfully we have good car insurance and it was in the shop the same day and we were in a rental car.

The Red Cross had also been there to help. Wonderfully nice ladies. They gave me a Beanie Baby and I got tears in my eyes. They also gave each of the girls one. They arranged for the 6 of us and the 2 dogs to stay the night at Motel 6. We had two rooms. In the room Scotty, Loren and I were to be in had the two dog crates and two bicycles. Sadly those and Scotty’s other bikes were total losses. Just more loss to face.

What amazed me was while the fire was still burning the “vultures” started showing up. By that I mean the contractors, the people that facilitate everything for you for just 20% of the insurance money that is. The longer this all went on the angrier I became. I felt that they were awful, that to try and get us to do business with them before the fire was even out.

Watching the firefighters push out my 1965 Mustang nearly broke my heart. Loren wanted to restore it with his dad, he was convinced I would give it him. Who knows? Maybe I would have, but that is no longer a point. It would cost too much to restore it. I remember being there the day my dad signed the final papers and we drove it off of the Ford lot all those many years ago. Some of my fondest memories are in that car. My mom, dad, sister and I would pile into “Shasta”. Then the adventure would begin. Maybe we would go on the back roads around Vacaville or out to Grizzly Island or head to the Delta to visit those roads. The windows open and the radio blaring. Good bye “Shasta”.

6 comments:

  1. It is great that you are blogging. This is a great outlet for you and to get your story out. Glad Belen was able to take the girls and your mom in. So nice of your neighbors to bring you all breakfast. Nice when a community pulls together. Sorry about your mustang. Shame some of those contractors are like vultures. Gives the good ones bad names.

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    1. It is good for me Kelly. It is helping me to sleep better. I recommend it to everyone. Belen is a really great woman and she would give the shirt off her back to anyone that might need it. As I go on you will see just how nice people can be. I used to be very cynical, not so much anymore.

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  2. Mike cried when he saw that classic Mustang......
    It's sad that the contractors feel the need to show up that soon after a fire. You shouldn't be making decisions when you're still basically in shock. UGH......keep venting girlie....you have the right and also need too!!

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    1. Laurie, it is the end of an era for the Mustang. We tried to take the pony out of the grill but we were unsuccessful. They are like vultures. I decided that I had to vent or I would explode.

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  3. Oh Poor Shasta... :( May she rest in Peace...
    Vultures are everywhere, in every situation. They are big loud and ugly. So thankful in the midst of all that you had good people stepping in. I'm sure you have or will make friends with some of these good strangers. Your Moms friend Belen sounds wonderful! Glad ya'll have her!

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  4. When I was a kid and my dad worked 12 hour days and 13 day weeks we would spend that 14th day in that car. He would take us to a store and buy us all a bottle of soda pop. Then we would head out on the open road. Life was so much simpler then for me. We used to do that when the kids were little. We have amazing friends and neighbors and I will be telling about more. Belen is a great lady and we are blessed to know her. She is the grandma of Loren's best friend Vincent.

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