OH WHAT A NIGHT

Since I have no grandchildren I have been babysitting on Friday evenings for my friends Dawn and Bryan who have 3 children, 1 boy Taylor and 2 girls Cailey and Cassidy. Taylor was just a little guy when I first met him and he is now all grown up and helps out Mom allot with his sisters. He is not usually around on Friday evenings as he is busy with sports and other things. Cailey is 4 and has such an imagination, We play games and make believe allot and it amazes me how smart she is, very intelligent for sure. Cailey definitely will not let me get bored as we move on from one pretend game to the next.





Cassidy will be 2 in May. She is a bit more stubborn than her sister and will let you know if you don't get it just the way she wants. Also living in this household is a big white lab named Lucy. Lucy is huge, she eats lots of treats and leftovers that Cassidy and Cailey drop on the floor. Lucy is probably the most gentle dog that I have ever encountered. Lucy will be sleeping on her back on her sofa and Cassidy will be trying to pull her ears ,tail or trying to poke out her eyes. Lucy just stretches and yawns and goes back to sleep.





This past Friday evening I had just gotten the girls settled down in bed, Cailey was watching the Muppet's in her bed while waiting to fall asleep and Cassidy was out like a light. I went into the living room and settled down to watch a little TV. I kept noticing bright flashes of light and it was weird. I watched a few minutes of the TV show and kept seeing flashes of light. I got up and looked out the window toward the main road and it seemed to be very bright outside for a cold winter night of 18 degrees. I saw nothing and then looked out the side window facing the yard and the house next door.





I was totally amazed and quite speechless at what I saw on this bone chilling January night. The neighbours house next door was ablaze and the whole front section of the house and roof had flames shooting up and out from every direction. I yelled at Gary to dial 911. We watched in amazement as we awaited the fire trucks,ambulances,news reporters and who knows what or who else might have been there with lights flashing. The house had a long steep driveway and sat on top of the hill. The driveway was covered in snow and ice and I watched in deep thought as the brave firefighters climbed up that icy driveway and put their lives at risk to perhaps save others. The fire hydrants were quite a distance away at the beginning and end of the street so they had to keep sending more fire trucks to keep up with the demand for water. It was exhilarating,terrifying,sad, and beautiful too. I was hoping no one was in the house and I haven't heard for sure yet but I do not think anyone was home. Lucky for them because this fire was raging. It was so eerily beautiful on this frigid night with flames dancing in the wind so high in the sky with red embers flying around like fireworks, I saw the windows blow out and after it got air it got more fierce and raged and swayed in the cold night. There were blue sparks flying from the front side near the front door and I am guessing this was the electrical wires connected to the power poles burning. I felt so bad for whomever lived there as it was clear that this fire was not going to be put out easily. I felt bad for the firemen who fought with their huge fire hoses to put it out and it seemed the more they sprayed water into and onto the house that the huge billowing clouds of smoke just rolled and covered the night. When I saw the roof cave in I knew it was hopeless.





I felt bad for the homeowner who had lost everything as I knew now the fire was just being controlled and that the home and everything inside it was a total loss. How sad.





When I was in the 6th grade my parents house caught on fire from some sort of electrical problem and all was also lost in this blaze. I was not at home that night as it was the weekend and I spent most of my weekends at grandma Lula's house. I was more than lucky that night as I had all my Barbies and their clothing with me. I had no clothing for myself anymore other than what I had in my overnight bag but Barbie was set and Ken as well. I stood at Dawn's house and watched someone else's hopes and dreams go up in smoke just like my parents dreams did many years ago. Even though I was not at home when our house went up in flames, I have been terrified of fire and always make sure to double check things to make sure it doesn't happen easily.





People from our neighborhood got together and found us a place to stay and made sure that I. my two brothers, sister, and my parents had food and clothing . People were very kind and just took us underneath their wings and helped us along for the next few weeks. Dad eventually rebuilt a new home where the old home stood and Mom was very happy to have everything new again. I remember how she shopped for carpet, paint and furniture with a smile on her face.





One can only hope and pray that the people on this street will ban together and do the same for who ever lived in this house, who has lost all their clothing, furniture, and mementos. I will always remember my mom saying that she would have liked to have gotten out our family photos as material things can be replaced and memories cannot.





Gary and I have decided that we will never again be without a camera. We did not have even the cell phone with us this night and we got no photos of this terrifying event.





The photos would have been great and we had a perfect view. Dawn had a camera but no batteries so we ended up with no photos to show you. It is hard to understand the magnitude of this fire without actually seeing it with your own two eyes..





Pray for the family who lived here as they are going to need all the blesings they can get.
Will take and post photos of the girls and Lucy for next week.