Ending 2016 and Starting 2017

Can I say that 2016 went out with a ‘blaze of glory’? Or ‘Up in Flames’?

December 18, 2016 at about 11:30 p.m. I was awakened by CJ yelling ‘everyone out of the house!’

So there we stood, in our pajamas, as the house belched smoke and flames.

Not how I wanted to end the year. Not how I want anyone to end anything.

The community of Helena (and beyond) has been so, so, so supportive. Everything from a friends taking us in overnight and washing clothes for us to gift cards, donations of clothing and household items and cash. People who I thought of as friends, are actually family, caring beyond belief.

Unfortunately, two of the cats didn’t make it out and neither did the guinea pigs.  So there you have it.

Right now, and for the next couple of months, we are in a duplex courtesy of the Salvation Army. While it sounds bad, the duplex is actually nicer than an apartment we rented for $900 a month.  We have the place for about 4 months.

Hopefully, within that time period we find another place we can rent until the house is torn down and rebuilt. One which will let us keep the dogs with us.

Needless to say, it’s going to be a long, hard journey the next year or so, but we are all trying to be positive about it.

Lady K is in a day care where they are very much aware of the situation (and were a donation site) and she seems to be doing well.  We are trying to keep on a routine for her benefit if nothing else. And her Christmas will never be equaled again, thanks to all the loving support from Helena.

Texter called the college to talk to them about her classes this coming semester, of which all but one are online.  No internet where we are! And we can’t have it installed!  Upshot of the conversation – she now has a work-study job on campus which looks like it will continue into the coming semester since she has to be on campus all day anyway to use their internet. She has also been the ‘face of the family’ with all the donations and such.

Savvy is continuing to work full time at her job and I’m still at my part-time job at the library.  CJ is handling all the insurance ‘stuff’. We have had a pretty good delegation of duties.

So what does this mean for me for 2017?

This is me, looking dazed these days!

(Deep breath) Slowly relooking at my priorities and goals.  A big chunk of what I was planning on doing in 2017 is now ‘smoked’. The quilting and knitting are basically smoked and now frozen (and we won’t talk about the two fish tanks in the house).

But….

Surrounded by family and friends, I am sure 2017 will be a good year. I am revisiting what is important and what isn’t. It’s amazing how something like this makes you rethink your life. 

Posts probably won’t be as often as in the past since we have to do ‘hot-spots’ for internet. (Actually, doing without internet has been a bit of a revelation.)

And it means more writing!

So stay tuned.