Goodbye 2021, FOR FUCKING REAL THIS TIME, and thanks for the change! 💎 - pt. 2

So, yesterday here in Arvada/foothills of Colorado, we experienced extremely high winds - 100+ mph at some points - and it was nuts to experience and witness. The house was shaking, a model ship we have hung had its sails “moving” either from the house shaking or maybe a little bit of wind actually getting inside (builder said this house is “tight like a drum” oh my), my cat was getting scardey cat eyes (same), it was trash day so all the bins fell over, our grill cover flew away in to another’s yard, and like at least fkn snow if it’s gonna be that windy!

Then, due to the winds, it is said a few power lines snapped off and caused some grass fires that then spread so very quickly into 1,600 acres of doom. That occurred in the cities just North of our home. My spouse called to see if I was watching the news, and I though I was aware of the fires, I’m not one to sit and just watch the news like that so I said No, and then I turned it on. We chatted a bit, he said, “Are you ok?” and I said, “WELL NOT FUCKING NOW!!!!” so we hung up, he called back maybe 3 minutes later and said he was on his way home.

That’s when I really started freaking out that this is really actually happening.

A few wildfires ago, I did make a mental list of what I would grab, what is truly irreplaceable to me - art books I have collected, my jewelry which isn’t expensive by any measure but it’s mine and it’s all quite sentimental, and some photo albums, plus the firebox which has important documents and other things. And of course my husband and my cat!

I cried, I paced, I “packed” but like WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU ACTUALLY PACK?! Even with that “mental list”, it was just all daunting and scary, hence the pacing, and it is quite another task to go and grab your things.

During my “packing”, I did find a beloved cardigan I thought I misplaced. It was in a random bag in a closet that I was putting canned cat food in, and there it was. I’m wearing it now as I type this.

Our neighborhood had a “pre-evacuation order” (notice?) so “be alert and ready to leave” 😳. Matt had the TV on and he wasn’t yet packing himself, but announced what he was going to grab. I prefer to read my news, not watch it, plus working at a health care provider when a shooting was going on (albeit at another location from mine), from that experience I knew the news just fills the air and, honestly, is not all that helpful with information, despite best efforts (group hug, no shade, but….here we are.) Also, shots of the traffic of those evacuating and articles this morning showed all traffic going one fucking way, slow moving at that. What, exactly, is the point of evacuating when you can’t leave?! I’m merely complaining now, but these are the things I think about in times like these.

The wildfire (fires?) was close, and thankfully didn’t come our way. Hundreds of others were not so lucky - 580 some odd homes were burned. The winds died down FINALLY at about 7:00 pm MST, and it was then I started to calm down, knowing that the fire now had a chance to be controlled. On the news, it was said there was nothing to be done due to the winds, and hopefully in that time that nothing could be done, the smart people were thinking of what could be done by the time the could act. Lordyyyyyyyy…..

By 7:30 pm, I was rocked and exhausted from the evening’s events. I was responding to texts, watching the news, tearing up and pacing still, less with fright and more with gratitude. Grateful pacing. Then made myself a nice cold chocolate milk in my new wine-goblet shaped Yeti cup. Because what else was I gonna do?! Drink drink, and then have to bounce in the middle of the night???? No. I can pretend to be responsible from time to time.

I kept telling Matt I’m so glad he came home from work. I shared that while I was “packing”, my wedding dress is in the office closet (not cleaned or preserved yet haha), and that I don’t need my wedding dress - I need my husband! He said, “Right. You and me, babe!” ❤️

All the local newscasters were in tears or choked up. I haven’t seen that since 9/11 (but I’m not a news watcher hmmm). Throughout this goddam ‘demic, we’ve been told over and over it’s safest to stay home. And then your home burns. This fire could have started anywhere along the front range. It’s been dry as all heck. Even for a high desert, there’s usually some snow by now and we’ve had none. It’s snowy/rainy now, which just seems insulting. Nonetheless, no deaths reported and no missing people reported as of this writing. Hopefully that remains the same!!

I’ve made a “Wildfire evac. packing list” in my fucking Notes app and shared with my spouse. It lists miscellaneous things and their estimated location in the house. I printed the pic shared in this post above 2x and taped it in to two closets for easy reference. It is also embedded in to said fucking Notes app entry.

I’m off of work today, and will head to the grocery store in a bit to shop and pick up a prescription, like it’s any other day. I’m sad and less panicked today. Still grateful, though… Hell of a way to end the year.

Here are some links for local services:

Food Bank of the Rockies

Boulder County Office of Emergency Management

Colorado Responds

(Other pages indicated the American Red Cross is providing resources. I, personally, am not keen on the American Red Cross b/c they are discriminatory and shady AF with how the money it raises is actually distributed - they pulled that crap on 9/11 and after a huge earthquake in Haiti. You get a second chance, but not a third. If you’re in to that nonsense that entity does, go for it, I guess.)

In closing, “stay alert and ready to go” is decent life advice, God Bless Betty White, and God Bless the rest of us heathens….we need it!!!