We are exhausted

 We had a chimney fire last night. It started at 2AM and roared like mad for over two hours. Three fire trucks and five or six firefighters were here.

Thankfully the house is still standing and we are still in.

It was a scary experience.

We can use the wood furnace - for now - but we have to change our heat source.

This house has a double chimney. The woodstove in the livingroom is on the left, the wood and oil furnace is on the right. (They don't operate at the same time. There is a shut off when one or the other is working).

The chimney for the wood stove is "toast"....apt description isn't it? Our oil furnace is done too. We were going to replace it this year anyway. So, a contractor is coming out the first of the week to expedite our propane gas furnace.

We're just done messing around with wood heat. Enough is enough.

All of the wet, smoky insulation from the attic was scattered around the upstairs bathroom where the hatch is located. My insurer was going to send a service around to do the cleanup, but M and I had it all bagged up and out the door before the call could be made. There is a big puddle of sooty smelly water on the cement floor in the basement from them shooting a hose down the chimney. M. has a good stack of rags sopping that up. So us, the dog and the two cats and our important papers and valuables spent most of the night in the car. We had the car in the garage, but M. put it out. Didn't want to be running it indoors. 

We have long been aware of the need to have our cat cases and our "go bags" and our important things close at hand in case of emergency. We were out the door with it all in minutes. The one thing we didn't think about was water. I was SO thirsty! When they told me it was safe to go into the basement I galloped in and grabbed a handful of bottles.

Miss Kitty was seriously traumatized by it all. When all was said and done and we were cleared to come back into the house M. locked her in his bedroom while she recuperated. The little devil got right into his bed and PEED. So I was stripping his bed asap. My cat was just plain curious. When the fire chief was in the livingroom talking to us she was rubbing his legs and meowing at him. I like to think she was thanking him for saving our home.

Oh, and ice. Yes, we had an issue with ice all right. One of the fire fighters went down on his back and had a good slide down the slope of the lane! The fellows on the roof were hooting and hollering and cheering. I take it episodes like that are not new to them! They were such good natured fellows and we are so thankful they came quickly and got it all under control.