Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The Rainy Tuesday and a Scare

This picture pretty much sums up what Delilah thinks of Calamity Acres, I'm afraid. 


To be fair to this poor girl, she lived her whole life from a tiny doeling at Juniper Hill.  She had a companion there, Sampson, who has been gone for a while. 

She is bewildered and cannot figure out why her life is upside down. 


Sharpening her weapons.  She isn't afraid to use them, either! 


However, we did have some periods of relative quiet during the afternoon, thank heavens! 

WE NOW INTERRUPT OUR REGULAR BLOGPOST. 

While I was typing the blogpost this morning, I began to smell smoke. 

I knew there was a paper towel hanging in the kitchen, and I began to think I had left a burner on. 

I went out there... nothing....

I came back in the office and smelled the smell stronger, and went into the bedroom, where Lilly was napping on the bed.  

There was smoke everywhere.  

I called 911. 





You cannot see the whole response from these pictures.  A Kansas State Trooper was here first. 
Then the Tongie City (Tonganoxie) Fire Department, coming from the west.  Then the Stranger Creek department (Volunteers) from the east.  Two sheriff's deputies (one of them Kelly's breeder)... and the Weststar Energy truck.  

I cannot thank all of them enough. 

I had been able to call Keith, who turned around from where he was headed to come back to the house. 

As he got here, his phone rang, it was his boss who was at a meeting in Salina.  Our county emergency manager was in the same meeting, had heard the fire call (he himself is a volunteer) and heard our address.  He told Keith's boss, who called to see if we were okay. 

Kathy from next door had heard the call on Troy's radio (he is a volunteer) had already offered her house to us and the dogs for as long as we needed.  

Unbelieveable. 

The kindness of friends... I cannot impress upon you all that when the chips are down... it's your neighbors and friends that will pull for you. 

What did I think to do? 

I did not know if the wall was on fire, or the electricity. 

I called 911 as I went to the kitchen. 

I grabbed my purse, the Western Digital harddrive with our family pictures on it... and my camera. 
I grabbed a leash and leashed Ranger, who needs help. 

I called Lilly and Abby to come, and they came immediately. 

I loaded them all in the car... and drove the car far from the house, and left them. 

I had called Keith initially and hung up on him... and called him back to tell him the house was on fire. 

I got the gate open for the fire department(s).  

I went back in the kitchen for my Carhartt, after the trooper walked through. 

I was so glad to see Keith, and so grateful to God our Father for not losing our beloved little house. 
A washer is nothing. 

Keith had to lift Ranger out of the car but we are all back in the house, Keith on his way to work.... and Mary Ann grateful that nothing worse happened.  

I'm waiting for KanGas to get here to re-light the furnace, and also grateful that it's not 27 degrees out right now. 

Prayers of thanks going heavenwards today! 


34 comments:

  1. Oh goodness Mary Ann. How scary! I am so thankful that everything is ok. Yep living in a small town is wonderful when you have trouble. The neighbors are always there to help. I am so glad your house is safe.

    I think Delilah will settle in, but as I said before, pygmies are feisty. She is probably just letting everyone know she is now the queen. LOL Good luck with this.

    By the way, I love your new Carhartt jacket. I have one just like it except burgundy color. I have never had a coat I loved as much as this one. They wear like iron and are so warm. Good gift from hubby.

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  2. How scarey! I'm so glad it was not any worse. That was bad enough.

    Great neighbors and friends. Very important to have people you can count on.

    Thank goodness ya'll are okay.

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  3. How terrifying. Glad you were home and glad you are ok
    Lily

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  4. WE are so glad you ALL are okay! Smart thinking on your part. Also we laughed and laughed at your little goat sticking her tongue out at you.
    Stella Rose and Momma

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  5. Mary Ann,

    Dear Lord, thank God you and the animals are okay and.......no one got hurt.

    What happened? Did the washer over heat and start on fire.

    I'm so happy it wasn't your home.

    I know I don't live close but if I can do anything, please drop me a line.

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  6. Mary Ann,

    Sorry, I had to come back on and comment about Delilah.

    See is adorable in this picture sticking her tongue out at the tractor, lol
    She will adapt just fine. Give her a bit of time, remember she's been queen goat over at her
    original homestead and now she has to follow into a new order.

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  7. So was it the washer then? Amy other damage? SO thankful you are okay and we're home to find this. I love hearing what people grab in an emergency.

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  8. Holy smoke! (no pun intended). I am SOOOO glad you and the house are okay. You are right, a washer is nothing.

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  9. Sorry to hear about your scare! yikes...
    Glad to hear your house is okay!

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  10. Hello all ... this is Keith. The final diagnosis was that it was a belt that burned up inside the washing machine. The firefighters took thermal imaging cameras and checked all the walls to make sure there wasn't any hot spots and didn't find any. We're in a rural area near a large city but Leavenworth County has a very well organized firefighting plan with their multiple (mostly volunteer) departments. Whenever there is a structure fire, the dispatchers automatically dispatch at least two departments to respond. We're out in the country, but 1/2 mile to our east is a rural township fire department (volunteer), 2 miles west is a small city fire department (combination full time and volunteer), and a mile and 1/2 west is an ambulance station that houses two ambulances. Because we are close to a federal highway, there are always State Troopers and Sheriff's Deputies patrolling nearby. So a 911 call here brings lots of help and quickly. Mary Ann did the right thing this morning. She got the dogs and got out, stayed out, called 911, and didn't go back in until the responders did their work.

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  11. So glad for the update by Keith, I am so glad it was just the belt on the washing machine and you are all safe. That is such a relief. You have such rapid responders and that so many people came to your aid makes me so happy.
    So glad you are all okay,

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  12. Oh my gosh-- that was just terrifying for sure! I am glad everything is okay- except for the washer!
    And we know little miss Deliah will settle in also.
    We are so thankful all is well.
    love
    tweedles

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  13. Oh, Mary Ann, I'm so sorry. So relieved that you all and the animals are okay but so sorry for this stress and worry. And yes, thank God it was not worse! And that you were there to handle it, not Abby alone in the house. My heart is racing reading this and I know yours must have gone into overdrive. Take care and be extra good to yourself, both of you. So glad your sweet babies are all okay.

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  14. phewwww....what a scare! glad everything is okay!

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  15. Wow, how scary can that be? So glad everyone is OK & that you did the absolute right thing. Thank you to Keith for posting the details. Yeah for small towns & their volunteer departments. They are awesome!

    We had an incident w/fire many years ago. It was just a bit of smoke that we noticed VERY early on. By the time we called the fire dept., hubby had dragged in several hoses into the attic to put out what was a growing fire. If it had been 20 minutes later, we would have been rebuilding. We were lucky to have noticed the small amount of smoke when we did. Contractor didn't install the wood stove properly & covered it up w/o inspection by us. Much longer story that I may share on my blog sometime in the distant future. Just one of many moments that I need to capture in writing.

    p.s. Love the pic of Delilah

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  16. Oh wow...what a day! I'm so glad to hear everything is ok. That was quick thinking, Mary Ann! You're right, a washer is "nothing"! On another note...Delilah sticking her tongue out is quite cute...I hope she can soon adjust, so everyone has some peace, and she can enjoy herself like she should.

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  17. Thank God and good neighbors. Well done Mary Ann.

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  18. How scary! Glad you and the animals are all safe. And as a good blogger, you remembered to take pictures.

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  19. I'm thankful you all are ok. That was a big scare for sure, but you managed it all very well.

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  20. so thankful you are alright, and no more damage to your home.
    Praise the Lord for the help of quick responders!

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  21. Whew! So glad it was just the washer and not the entire house and everyone is OK. The idea of losing everything in a fire just scares the heck out of me.

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  22. Scariest thing. So glad they responded quick and in the end everything was OK. Delilah is adorable. the picture of her lying down on the porch is very cute. I'm very confident she'll settle in :)

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  23. I hope the pictures you took of all the fire trucks were when they were departing and not arriving, LOL, what we do to have material to blog about. Glad everything is ok. Good idea to move the car and the dogs away from the house and out of the way of all the traffic coming and going.

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  24. Thank goodness your home is safe and everyone made such a quick responce AND that you were home to detect trouble!! God bless!

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