Wildfires in Texas

We got a "code red" alert on our phone yesterday. They were advising the residents of our little town near Dallas about smoke from wildfires. The fires were about 125 miles east of us - in the Longview/Marshall area (where BobnPi live).

Scruffy and I are both hoping they and their home are okay.

Tater

Stay safe guys, but if you have to get out, GET OUT! I know there are alot of our members who hale from Texas, so here's a shout out to them. Our prayers are with you.

I'm concerned about leaving home next week for our trip. Couldn't do anything if a fire came our way anyway. For many people, they just don't have time to get their stuff out if they have to leave, so I won't worry about "stuff." So, I guess we'll go. Really looking forward to seeing our son and dil's new house.... and hanging the drapes I've been making.

Tater

Tater,
Just make sure you have a copy of your important papers and what not with you, just in case....

A lot of that stuff is copied to the laptop - and the laptop will go with us. And other stuff is in the safe deposit box at the bank. With all the things we're hauling to CA, we don't have room for much more. Now that S&K have their own house, they are getting some antiques to put in it - and the drapes, of course. Hope we have room for some clothes, we're going to be gone about 3 weeks.

Tater

Tater,

Do you keep the Cat ready to go in case of an emergency? We do.

We should. In past years it was always ready for that spontaneous trip. This year, with it so hot, it isn't ready. Well, we could get some clothing and a few toiletries out there quickly, and Scruffy could get it hooked up fast enough (if he were home - he's in Saint Louis this week). Food - we could buy that someplace. Don't really know where we would go, TX is like a tinderbox. North, I guess - they've been getting some rain in Oklahoma, and we have friends in Tulsa.

Tater

What a crazy summer this has been huh...

I'll be thinking of you guys and all your fellow Texans...I hope your all ok.

We are pretty lucky here in New England...other than the storm last week, the snow and ice is about the worst we have to deal with...

Stay safe. I'll be pullin for ya!

one other quick note...if you have a camera that shoots video its very quick and easy to walk through every room in the house and the garage as a quick video inventory. After our last issue with the insurance company I did that to be safe...I guess you could even send a copy to utube as a private video so it would be backed up.

No video inventory - still photos, and lots of them.

Tater

Thanks for posting Tater. I was going to do that tonight and you beat me again. Two people I work with came very close to losing their homes. One has a new home he's been in for 6 months or less. Fire came within 1/8 mile of him. The other lives just down the road (1/8 mile) and fire was stopped in his back yard. Lot's of people have lost homes and there have been a few deaths due to these fires. Your thoughts and prayers for these people will be greatly appreciated. But pray for rain more than anything to prevent more loss.

Thanks all.

Bob

BobnPi,
I pray for rain everyday..... and safety for our firefighters and the people who live in those areas. As dry as it is, any area could become a fire in the blink of an eye.

Our daughter got a rain prayer in e-mail. She said it and it rained that afternoon - while we were there, in fact. We didn't get a drop at our house, about 15 miles away. I think I should ask if she still has that prayer.

Yesterday morning there was a pretty strong smell of smoke - not so much in the afternoon. I haven't been outside yet this morning.

Tater

When all the smoke is gone, I wonder how long it will take to get the smell out of our house. Going to Sams to get a case of Fabreeze

I'm afraid you'll get used to the smell before you get it all out. Fabreeze is probably as good as anything, and better than some things.

Window treatments - wash or get them drycleaned
Carpeting - shampoo or steam clean
Upholstered - steam clean
Walls - wash or repaint
Tile or wood floors - wash (thoroughly dry the wood floors afterwards)
All hard surfaces (furniture/appliances/sinks/tubs) - wash

Or get it all done professionally.

That might get rid of the smokey smell. I'd try the Fabreeze before shampooing or steam cleaning.

Sometimes smoke from a campfire will fill our trailer. We don't notice it after a while.

Tater

Sometimes smoke from a campfire will fill our trailer. We don't notice it after a while.

I often tell DW that if I ever rabbit hunt again, I'll take her instead of a beagle. She's got the most sensitive nose I've ever been around. She once smelled cigarette smoke while in surgery. As she had just finished a case, she went looking for the source. It was a totally no smoking hospital and grounds. She caught a Dr. smoking in the stairwell. That was outside the surgery suite with closed doors and positive ventilation for a heart case, outside the surgery area doors, and through the stairwell doors. The woman is psychotic I think.... Umm Psychic...

When we lived in another town in TX, I could smell cigarette smoke sometimes at night. I mentioned it to my neighbor and she said her husband sometimes can't sleep, so he'll go outside for a smoke. The smoke had to drift quite a ways to get in our house. I can smell things here, in our new house. Sometimes cigarette smoke... yuck. I don't mind the bacon smell on weekend mornings.

Tater

We were glad to come home and find everything still here. There was a little rain while we were gone, which compensated for the fact we turned off the sprinkler system.

We got a couple code red weather warnings on Scruffy's celphone while we were in CA... but fortunately, no fire warnings. We have code red tied in with our land line and Scruffy's celphone.

Tater

Glad to see you arrived home safely. It sounds like you had a wonderful time.

We really did have a great time. It was fun having a project that we could all work on and discuss. The drapes turned out exactly as they should. Our grandson came over and cooked the most delicious meatloaf one day. He's a better cook than his mother, or maybe I should say a more willing cook. Our son was in the final stages of an inspection at work when we got there, and when that was done, he took off for a week and a half.

Tater

Tater