Flower taken 'before the fire.'
Your heartwarming comments, heartfelt and humorous, and your sharing your own stories, has made my day easier. I want to thank all of you who took the time to view and comment. I'm going to use my album this next bit (I don't know how long at this point) mostly to document how the recovery from the fire goes. Please don't feel you need to comment as I don't know when or how long it might be before I can return the favor. Long days and little free time. Many calls throughout the day to organize both big and little things. It has meant so much to me to read such kind thoughts and comments. I know so many have your own challenges you are dealing with, so I do appreciate it. I am able to pop on every once in a while to view and make comments, and I do receive comments via email throughout the day. :-)
Some good things...
1. Inspectors have determined the fire was caused by faulty construction of the chimney materials surrounding the flue and fireplace -- a disaster waiting to happen. House was constructed in 2000 during a building boom in Chicago and codes today reflect more stringent construction.
2. We can now finish the debris removal and decide on a contractor.
3. We may have found a place to live that we like and will know tomorrow. Near where we are now, but an elevator building (high rise) so very different experience, but the same amount of space. We will likely be there until April or May.
4. I received some of my 'emergency' clothes back from the restorers and they are free of any smoke odor. It makes me hopeful that my clothes have survived.
Less good things (note the scale -- this is a good sign):
1. They did not have English Breakfast tea this morning or any other black tea except Early Grey. I almost cried. I don't think it was really over the tea.
2. I forgot to include slacks and socks in the 'emergency' kit which makes most of the rest of it not that useful.
3. My down jacket that came back in the emergency kit is missing its hood.
On the whole, the good is quite good and the bad is relatively trivial.
If anyone offerred me Earl Grey in a similar situation I would probably throw it at them. English Breakfast is the only way to start the day. I love this "almost open" lily. I trust your fortunes will open as beautifully as a flower.
You sound as if you are very good at adapting! I am too - I think it is because I love change and not many people do! Your words make me smile - they are so honest and from the heart!
@maggiemae You made me smile...I don't mind change, but this one is a bit bigger than I typically would want! I also come from a family that is really good at denial. I personally find it to be very useful, rather than dysfunctional, in times like this.
Oh Taffy, I have just read all about your fire. How dreadful but I'm so pleased that you and Jim all unhurt. I hope your precious items (the photo album and teddy bear) can be restored. My thoughts are with you. It's going to be a long haul.
I was away in the bush with very limited internet so I missed the story when you first posted it. Trying to catch up a bit this morning before starting work.
Oh my goodness Earl Grey! Yuk! No wonder you got teary! Don't worry I can send you a food parcel if necessary ! I am pleased that your list of good things is longer than the bad! I smiled at your description of your family being good at denial - it comes in handy Taffy - my family suffer from the same ! Good news about your clothes being restored - sometimes when the practical things in life are ok you can cope with all the rest! Hope your new tempory home works out well. Take care and keep safe! Love the flower ! Fav!
First of all I love this flower, all the detail and color that you captured is so beautiful, Taffy.
I am glad you are documenting here as it will help you have one place to write and we can all keep up at once as well. Also, it sure is an eye opener to those of us who have never gone through this before. Our home was built in the boom as well and so many in our neighborhood had so many problems, ours not as bad as others but we still seem to be fixing things not done right and only used our fireplace once as it was poorly constructed but up to code at the time. I like your good things and sympathize with you less good things. Sounds like you may need to cry. When life is turned upside down it can take time to realize the impact or to feel it. Hang in there.
Oh my, but good to know there are some good news! I´m hoping all will turn on well. And yes Earl Grey would make me cry too....I find it too strong;) I wish you all the best and look forward following the news. Lovely shot btw
Things seem to have started moving quite quickly, which is good news! I gadn't realised that you lot over there are such tea-o-philes. We take huge bags of teas bags for my English fatther in law in Upstate New York when we visit, and rarely find decent tea in a restaurant. Maybe we need to visit you tea-people for the home version. Hope progess continues re temporary home. . Nice shot! Now must get back to my pint of tea. Honestly - its what I have in the morning...
Good thing that your using this as your journal. It gives you the oppertunity to write away everything that is going on and hopefully give you some more peace. I never realised how much trouble a fire gives, even when your house is still standing. Hang in there in these though times!
Beautiful flower with lovely detail. I'm so sorry to hear about what you are going through. It sounds like you are handling everything very efficiently and you are making progress. I'm hoping things get a little better for you each day
Thank goodness there is something to blame for the fire, so hopefully that means the insurance will go through quickly. I'm sure you will need a good cry or two every so often just to release all that shock. I am unsure what you mean by emergency clothing - is this your own clothing? Good luck on getting the housing near where you are. It's all happening for you at the moment!
Glad to read some better news Taffy but what a complete nightmare, feeling very sorry for you and Jim. Hope the temporary new place works out and you get some more of your stuff back soon.
Glad to hear there are good things. Hope your housing works out for you and you get somewhere stable to continue the process of rebuilding your home. Beautiful shot. Take care.
Funny how the trivial things just seem to blow up on us in times of stress. We can seemingly handle the big things because we expect them and brace for them it's the little things that take us down and wear on us. They need to be out weighed by the wonderful things. A high rise will give you some wonderful new photo ops and maybe make you appreciate you home once you return even more.
I've been away and just read about your fire. So sorry to hear about this. The important thing is no one got hurt. You seem to have a very good attitude about it and that is what matters. Beautiful shot
Just read the devastating news re your home - but so glad you are safe -- keep strong my friend and things can only get better --- This is a beautiful capture ,and a fav !
Oh Taffy, I am beyond sorry to read of your misfortune and though I don't know much about you beyond the fact that you are an amazing photographer I wish I could send you a hug. Stay strong and know there are good vibes coming your way from so many 365'ers - hopefully you'll feel them.
@888rachel Hi Rachel -- I am feeling the virtual hug! Our 'emergency' clothing was the small set of clothes we were supposed to give the crew who is cleaning and restoring items so that they could process them and get them back to us asap, within 48 hours, so we would have clothing to wear. The idea is a great one, but the problem is it asks for very rational thinking, very quickly, and without access to everything to plan your wardrobe. So I have an odd assortment of this and that (e.g., 4 sweaters/jumpers, 2 pairs of down slippers, 3 hats) but not the sort of array of what I'd actually need. I'm guessing this weekend may involve some calmer shopping trip to pick up a few basics.
I'm sure you wouldn't approve of my current choice of breakfast beverage - liquorice infusion... and very nice it is too. I'm so pleased for you that the big things seem to be falling into place quickly. Keep strong... and try to find time to keep taking beautiful images like this one.
You must be so stressed. I'm glad your recovery is on its way, but almost crying over not having your accustomed tea surely means that you need to give yourself some more TLC, and let others do for you too. Your flower is a beauty. Hope you enjoy your high rise experience.
A beautiful colour and capture:-)I really feel for you,hope you find a reasonable place to stay,and manage to have a good Christmas without too much stress:-)
Such a beautiful flower so well captured and a fav for me. Don't want to add more to your stressful situation but there are things that perhaps you should be aware of. However much time they tell you it will take for your remodel be sure to add more they always take longer then estimated. Things will go wrong and you will need a way to relieve that stress plan on it. Learn to find the humor in most situations. Just keep in mind that things will get worse before they get better! Get a good supply of that English breakfast tea and keep it on hand. Whatever you do talk and share it don't keep it bottled up inside.
Lovely capture and thank you for that extended posting. There's not a thing I can do for you or your situation. One day it will be just a memory and who knows what new opportunities will unfold. Good luck and thanks for sharing
Glad you seem to be in good spirit and coping well. You'd think they'd have proper English tea in the hotel! It's the only way to start the day!
Lovely flower.
@shepherdmanswife Thanks! Funny thing is this morning they had it, he had a cup for me ready when I walked in, and as I left he gave me 3 bags to keep handy, 'just in case.' Very sweet. He'd heard about what had happened to us, he said, and wanted to help. I'm in awe of how wonderful people have been.
Oh, Taffy - so sorry to read about your fire! Hope the rebuild goes smoothly and your precious items are returned to you with a minimum of damage. Sending hugs
@taffy that's really lovely. People do seem to rally around to help when something bad like this happens. It will make you a stronger person when you get out the other side. Many years ago we lost our home when my husband's business went bust. We were repossessed.The car was taken away too. We had three young children two dogs and a cat and found ourselves homeless. Was a very stressful time. We got through it as you wIll. Hang on in there. They say some good comes out of all evil and I think this is true.
@shepherdmanswife It's stories like yours that remind me that while horrible for us, there are many who have suffered far more. We will have a beautiful place to live in by Monday night and we will have our home back in 6 months or so. And we are alive and untouched by the fire as far as we all know. It's good to read that you were able to get through such an awful and potentially life-changing experience and come out the other side.
So glad the good points are good and the bad points are mostly trivial. So happy you and Jim survived. Nice to see P3 up on the toys group, did he get a new hat?
tea... earl grey... HOT! so sorry they didn't have your english breakfast tea... i know it's a small thing, but those small creature comforts represent stability... this must all be so overwhelming for you right now... hang tight!
Wow so glad your list of good things are larger than the bad things!
It can only go up from here Taffy! So glad your moving into an apartment on Monday, you can settle in for the holidays and look forward to your rebuild.
Btw love your purple flower.
Oh Taffy, what an ordeal for you. The fire itself is a terrible trauma to deal with, but then comes the long drawn-out process of trying to get everything organised long after the tumult and shouting has died away. I really feel for you trying to cope with the shock and dislocation (no pun intended) of it all while you're working flat out and trying to get on with your normal life. Your account of clothing problems brings home very vividly the difficulties you're living with. But as you say, the main thing is that you and Jim are OK. When all is said and done, people are what matter, stuff of all kinds can replaced. I've sent you a big virtual hug from the Land of Oz, and Maggie sends a mighty flurry of tail-wagging and licks. BTW I too love the flower. Fav
Beautiful flower! Admiring a thing of beauty at a time like this is probably another good thing to add to your list. I've been thinking about your situation and how our lives can be changed in an instant by things beyond our control. I'm so happy to hear that you'll soon have a comfortable place to live while restoring your home. After all, People are what's important, not all the "stuff." Still, I'm not diminishing your loss by any means. Makes me wonder why I spend so much time accumulating things I don't really need? Have to ponder that one.
How devastating.. I had no idea you'd had a fire, and am so, so sorry to be reading this now. Thank goodness you are all safe and unharmed though, because In the end, that's what's most important and irreplaceable. This flower shot is absolutely stunning.
Bergamot added to tea. Earl Grey must have been an utter cad! Like Sue, it's English breakfast for me and like many Irish folk the stronger the better. I love the light in this shot Taffy. Fav
Oh my goodness, I've been out of it for a few days and didn't realise what devastation you'd been through. I'm so sorry to hear about the fire, you must be distraught, but as you say, as long as you're safe and healthy, all else can be fixed. Still I guess it will be a long road back to normality. Wishing you all the best in the days to come.
Fav I too have not been around much as i read Judith posting to you so so sorry what you have been through Glad you are all ok and well but most of all Safe x
I forgot to note when this began, but I hope you're making sense of it all by now... You're a good person to realize "the bad" is just your grief for the loss of normalcy, and I suspect friends are flocking to you with care packages... I'll sort through this, and I know you know how therapeutic writing and documenting all this can be. EVERYONE will understand your need to relax over the peaceful time spent with perusing photos and not once feeling the need to write everyone/anyone! Let US look after YOU for awhile now... It's not like you never had anything pressing you needed to do even before all this happened, right?!! ha!
PS...even worse that your home was newly constructed and the audacity that corners were cut! Outrageous!.
Stunning flower!
I was away in the bush with very limited internet so I missed the story when you first posted it. Trying to catch up a bit this morning before starting work.
I am glad you are documenting here as it will help you have one place to write and we can all keep up at once as well. Also, it sure is an eye opener to those of us who have never gone through this before. Our home was built in the boom as well and so many in our neighborhood had so many problems, ours not as bad as others but we still seem to be fixing things not done right and only used our fireplace once as it was poorly constructed but up to code at the time. I like your good things and sympathize with you less good things. Sounds like you may need to cry. When life is turned upside down it can take time to realize the impact or to feel it. Hang in there.
Lovely flower.
It can only go up from here Taffy! So glad your moving into an apartment on Monday, you can settle in for the holidays and look forward to your rebuild.
Btw love your purple flower.
PS...even worse that your home was newly constructed and the audacity that corners were cut! Outrageous!.