The third day
We have been back at home for three days now, the second and third waves of this stage and voluntary re-entry have come in. Heather and I have both done the things that called to us the most. She jumped in and started cleaning out the fridges, freezer and washing machine. I started cutting grass.
Our neighbour Norm had arrived before us on Wednesday and took the first pass as the grass; I took the second, then started fanning out to the backyard, back alley and the neighbour's house on the other side.
"It's amazing how quickly nature takes over," I said to Norm while helping him tame the monster dandelions in his backyard.
I have been in and out of the house most of the day, slowly cutting further and further afield, and bringing our portion of Demers back to a state that looks normal. Is it critical? Absolutely not. Does it feel good? Oh yah!
Early in the morning, I've felt the need to move my body. So, both today and yesterday, I went out before Heather woke up and did a couple of video blogs walking through our neighbourhood and down Franklin Avenue. My thinking was that many people are still scattered all over the country and personal updates might be appreciated. I know how much I relied on people like Ken Bowie when we were away in Calgary.
I feel a little overwhelmed at times, anxious over the amount of work to be done, paintings to catch up on, stories to write. But, I'm doing my best to listen to my body and take short naps to take the edge off. Even though we've come out the other side of this in the best possible situation, I've still been through a life-altering event - I need to remind myself of that and practice good self-care.
Cutting the grass, straightening the yard, trimming back the out-of-control trees, and bringing the yard back to normal makes me feel that all can be right in the world again. Going for a stroll to my local Safeway and picking up a bag of fresh veggies also feels great. It's the little things that make the biggest difference.
I went up on the roof to check for damage earlier today. As I had completely cleaned out the eaves the day before the evacuation, I was shocked to see how much debris had accumulated in a month. I imagine the singed nettles from the fire made up the bulk of the material that had collected.
It's been great to see familiar faces over the last few days. Some drop by for quick visits, others I've seen while out and about on my walks. Moving my body and walking through my community feels good for some reason.
Heather has been doing a great job dealing with insurance things. Our adjuster has given us great advice about what needs to be done to ensure that we get our appropriate compensation. It's a lot of work though - I can't imagine what it's like for those who are facing substantial or total losses.
We look forward to having our whole family together again soon. Hopefully, that will happen some time next week.
Our neighbour Norm had arrived before us on Wednesday and took the first pass as the grass; I took the second, then started fanning out to the backyard, back alley and the neighbour's house on the other side.
"It's amazing how quickly nature takes over," I said to Norm while helping him tame the monster dandelions in his backyard.
I have been in and out of the house most of the day, slowly cutting further and further afield, and bringing our portion of Demers back to a state that looks normal. Is it critical? Absolutely not. Does it feel good? Oh yah!
Early in the morning, I've felt the need to move my body. So, both today and yesterday, I went out before Heather woke up and did a couple of video blogs walking through our neighbourhood and down Franklin Avenue. My thinking was that many people are still scattered all over the country and personal updates might be appreciated. I know how much I relied on people like Ken Bowie when we were away in Calgary.
I feel a little overwhelmed at times, anxious over the amount of work to be done, paintings to catch up on, stories to write. But, I'm doing my best to listen to my body and take short naps to take the edge off. Even though we've come out the other side of this in the best possible situation, I've still been through a life-altering event - I need to remind myself of that and practice good self-care.
Cutting the grass, straightening the yard, trimming back the out-of-control trees, and bringing the yard back to normal makes me feel that all can be right in the world again. Going for a stroll to my local Safeway and picking up a bag of fresh veggies also feels great. It's the little things that make the biggest difference.
I went up on the roof to check for damage earlier today. As I had completely cleaned out the eaves the day before the evacuation, I was shocked to see how much debris had accumulated in a month. I imagine the singed nettles from the fire made up the bulk of the material that had collected.
It's been great to see familiar faces over the last few days. Some drop by for quick visits, others I've seen while out and about on my walks. Moving my body and walking through my community feels good for some reason.
Heather has been doing a great job dealing with insurance things. Our adjuster has given us great advice about what needs to be done to ensure that we get our appropriate compensation. It's a lot of work though - I can't imagine what it's like for those who are facing substantial or total losses.
We look forward to having our whole family together again soon. Hopefully, that will happen some time next week.
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