Save the Dresses First!

It is spring time in Georgia! Everything all around us is in bloom and it is so beautiful! Lovely flowers, blooming trees and shrubs! And the smell of the flowers is a true gift to the senses.

Yesterday, I smelled a different kind of smell - though not offensive - it wasn't a smell I associate with spring. Our neighbors were burning leaves. Not entirely surprising - as we, too, usually wait til spring to burn leaves. Seems like the trees all around our property wait til winter is over before completely shedding their leaves, so why bother to rake them up if you are just going to have to do it again, right?

So, when I got a whiff of the burning leaves yesterday, I simply enjoyed it. Who doesn't enjoy the smell of burning leaves? Then, this morning, I again got a whiff of the same scent. After a few hours, I kind of half-heartedly noticed that the smoke was getting thicker, the smell stronger. A short while later, the dogs started barking as though they were upset. I yelled at them to be quite and went about my sewing. A few minutes later I heard sirens, and thought, "Hmmmm .... hope it's not my neighbors leaves going out of control."

And before I knew it, I was surrounded by firetrucks!

In front of the house;

Around the side of the house;

The other side of the house;

Our neighbors driveway;

The road going by our house;

And yet one more came to park at the side of the  house.

This is not including the ones in yards and driveways of other neighbors, which I didn't get pic's of!
 They had fortunately arrived in the nick of time, as apparently, while I was busy enjoying the scent of 'leaves burning', those burning leaves were getting closer and closer to our property.

By this time, I was outside on the deck, camera in hand, clicking away, all the while thinking, "Put the damn thing out already!!" Ofcourse, I was also concerned about any people who may have been injured, and I knew they have a dog, who I was very concerned about as well.

But as the flames grew bigger and closer -

I began to wonder if I should start to quickly evacuate! But soon, they seemed to have things under control, flames subdued, leaving nothing but ashes and smoke.

The firemen - and women! - kept very close watch on it for a couple hours atleast. I spoke with one of the fire chiefs, and learned that it had indeed started as a leaf fire, but quickly got out of control with the brisk breeze we had, and had ignited an illegal home 'dump site', which had fueled the fire to spread.

I was so very thankful to these hard working firefighters for taking over my yard and using it for a 'base station' against the fire which could have been devasting for many.

 Fortunately, nobody was hurt. The family dog was fine as well.

I did learn a couple lessons today.
Listen to danger signs: Too much smoke, incessant barking, sirens coming closer . . . .

Interesting what goes through your head when evacuation seems eminent. My first thoughts were, "SAVE THE DRESSES!!"

My Adventures in Vegas

Vegas is the city of lights - and in the month of December, it always seems to be even more so, because of the Chrsitmas lighting and decorations.
We go there every year in December for a convention, where my husband spends his days scheduling airshows for next year or taking classes. Evenings are spent dining or visiting with good freinds, or taking in a show. This year was no different. except for 2 things. First, I left with an injury. A week before we left, I had twisted my knee while working on a very busy bustle. It was very painful. I limped my way through the airport and up to our room, where I quickly got some ice to put on it before venturing out. I soon found that I wouldn't be doing a lot of 'venturing'. We were staying at the Paris; which was fortunate, because we were right next to the Miracle Mile shops.   The first evening we were there, we walked through the mall (we were looking for a diet coke, of all things!) and this is when I think I realized that my walking would be minimal. By the time we got back to our room, my entire leg was on fire. So, the next morning, I decided that I needed to run back over to the mall and find a bandage to wrap my knee in.  While I was there, I thought a more comfortable pair of shoes or boots would help also.
This is where my adventure really began. I found the bandage I needed, and put it in my purse with my wallet, zipping it all up tight in my beautiful Jimmy Choo bag. Love that bag! My leg was sore, but I found that as long as I walked slowly, it was manageable. So, I wandered into a shoe store and tried on a couple pair of boots. Neither was going to work, though, so I picked up my things and went on to another store, where I found a cute and comfortable pair of ankle wedge boots. However, when I went to pay for them, I quickly discovered that my wallet was gone. PANIC. I dumped the entire contents of my bag on the counter - surely it was in there somewhere! If you have never had your wallet stolen, I can tell you that it gave me s sense of panic and unbelief unlike anything I have ever experienced. I limped/ran back to the other shoe store, where they found a security guard to help me. Can you believe it - there were no security cameras in the mall! This is Vegas, baby! No camera's? Are you kidding? I filed a report, then limped/ran back to the Paris, where I got on my computer and found phone numbers to cancel credit and bank cards. It was so surreal. It had to have been a pro, because my bag had been zipped, and for someone to get into it without me noticing, well, let's just say, it had to have been quick.
As unfortunate as this little adventure was, I can still be thankful for several things. 1) They didn't get my $260 in cash (which was saved for my spa day) because it was in a seperate envelope. 2) My husbands bank and credit cards were not affected, so I still was able to have access to buying power! And most importantly, 3) they didn't take the whole bag! I can replace the cards (which actually arrived the day we returned home) and my drivers licence, but how would I ever replace my Jimmy?!!