Before the Fire

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Today I have some pretty serious bad news. We're about 95% sure our house burned down. At around 2 this afternoon a neighbor came by and told us there was a forest fire very close and we needed to evacuate. We didn't really believe her until we went outside and saw the huge billowing orange cloud just down the street. So we grabbed a few things and hit the road.

What on earth do you grab when you think ... maybe ... your house will burn down??? I grabbed:

1. my computer
2. my purse (with new iphone)
3. some clean underwear
4. all my small paintings

My husband also had the very good idea to drive both vehicles, and pull the camper while we were at it, just in case. So now we are camped at an RV park in Austin and have been listening to every bit of news we can come by. They say our neighborhood is completely gone. So we are pretty sure. They haven't contained the fire yet, and since there are multiple other fires burning at the same time around Texas, taking up all the other fire-fighters' time, they aren't even sure when they'll be able to put it out. They say about 300 houses have been lost, so far.

The good news is, we have fire insurance. I'm trying to think of more good news, but that's all I got. Oh, I got my little paintings out, so all the auctions are still good. And I was even ahead, so I can still post for a couple of weeks. Meanwhile I'll be searching for new brushes, panels, paint, etc. Not to mention a new studio.