Prelude Love Devine

What galvanizes a person to leave everything they know and move 1800 miles across the country to start over?

It was the fire that did it. Made me realize how uncertain life is and what it is that matters in it. It made me feel the need to move a final time.

The evacuation; the day, and following night, spent tending my flock from a safe spot in the field gave me a great view of the burning mountain and plenty of time to listen to my thoughts. If the situation had not been so serious the atmosphere would have almost been festive.

My mom was at the nearby grammar school helping the Red Cross set up to feed the fire refuges and the firefighters, one brother took his dog and a few sentimental possessions to a uncles a few miles up the road, the other brother was sitting over the hill from me watching the fire. I stayed because of my flock, he stayed because of his horses. What each of us stayed for or took with us spoke volumes of what we valued.

Me? I packed my new drop spindle and my knitting, then took the sheep and goats, and Atlas, the livestock guardian dog, far into the field away from the fire. Yes I did take a change of clothes and my grandmother's Bible, as well as a old family photo album, but I found that most of my “possessions” didn't matter any more.

As the day progressed and the winds hit 70 miles per hour I watched the fire burning nearly out of control.

At dusk a dozer pushed a firebreak between the flames and the surrounding areas. Specifically it went within 100 feet of my back door.

When the sun started to set the mountain took on a eerie reddish glow. Luckily this was also when the high winds stilled and gave the firefighters a chance to get the remaining flames under control. Where earlier the main indication that there was a fire was the smell of smoke, the darkness turned the mountain into volcano with traveling rivers of magma flames.

The fire came close enough to our houses that I could hear the flames crackling. Once, as a flame shot skywards, I gave my house up as lost.

As the firefighters walked the firebreak looking for any fires that might have crossed it their voices carried on the night air. Atlas normally would have barked his head off at them. That night he stood and barked, what seemed to be a “that a boy, good job” type of bark.

The sun rose behind a low lying smoky haze and finally we were given the go ahead to return to our homes. Exhausted by the long stress ridden day and night, I made a bed on the floor in front of the heater and let the exhaustion take over.

Author's Note

I'm not finished with this yet. Just posting it as I go.