fire update & thoughts

To answer the questions I've been getting about the fires here...

I'm fine. My house was on standby for evacuation on Monday so I packed up the irreplacable items and put them in storage at my office. I've left them there because we've been on the border of an evacuation area for the Harris fire since then. Monday & Tuesday night, I could see flames in the distance. This afternoon, we received conflicting instructions on whether or not to evacuate. We've stayed put because we can't even see the glow of flames and the sheriff hasn't shown up to tell us it's time to go.

There is a ton of devastation here. I've come to the conclusion that tornadoes are preferable to fires. When you survive a tornado, you're more likely to find a few belongings. With a fire, it's just so rare to find anything that's survived intact. Tornado warnings and watches last hours; the tornado itself is over in minutes. Fires last for hours that actually stretch into days. Fires rain smoke and ash for days; they have to be fought. Tornadoes are gone as quickly as they arrive. The commonality lies in the ability of both to bring out the best in people during the worst of times; to cause one to evaluate their priorities; and to remind people that memories and life are to be cherished and treasured; the rest is just stuff.