Day: August 10, 2013

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Sharp Fire Day 3 (What part of this don’t you understand?)

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Yes we’re evacuated.

Yes it’s inconvenient and a little uncomfortable, if for no other reason than our routine has been completely disrupted.

BUT…  and this is important.

It is far better for me to be here.

Not because I’m scared but because I’m out of the way!

Narrow roads, unpredictable fire, lots of equipment, lots of firemen, the very real potential for chaotic and potentially dangerous retreat where second of delay can cost lives.

So the Firefighters correctly asked us to evacuate. They very patiently explained their reasoning to people who didn’t get it,  and yet…

There were dumbasses who insisted on not leaving when they’re asked to do so. I get it, they wanted to stay to protect their homes if possible.

If I didn’t have responsibility for the dog, I might have been one of those dumbasses. Of course… The key would have been in the ignition of the car, the car nose out in the driveway and the basics would have been packed in the back of the car.

Worse yet are the dumbasses who insist on walking into an evacuated area.

Folks that don’t leave are, at least Identifiable because they’re going to be hunkered down in their houses. If things go bad the Firefighters can make sure they can take those folks with them.

But what about the people that walk in?

Are these people thinking at all? 

Many of them don’t belong or live in the area,  and don’t know what they’re walking into.

They’re placing yet another strain on the Police & Firefighters. Yes, another strain… How do the police know you’re not up to no good?

The Police and Firefighters are busting their asses to make sure that the property is protected from both the fire and from opportunistic scumbags.

The presence of people walking in and out of the evacuation area makes the jobs of the Firefighters and Police much more difficult than it needs to be.

These guys, have to keep doing head-counts to keep track of the number of folks coming in & out. And with ecah new body they see, its another person they’re responsible for.

Yes dumbasses…  

The Firefighters and Police primary duty is to protect human life, then structures & property. (Yep even idiots who by all that’s Holy should have offed themselves years ago and earned a Darwin Award in the process)

Your presence in the area makes them responsible for you.

Honestly I’d rather have the Firemen concentrating on putting the fire out instead of counting or trying to control idiots. 

But then again, I’m funny that way. I’d rather not lose my home again. 

If the wind changes and the fire starts moving fast toward them what are those people on foot going to do?

Ask for the cops to give them a ride out? Hop on the firetrucks and hope theres enough room?

I’d like to see the police give them a ride out of the area… to the local jail. Charge them with insufferable stupidity and hold them for 10 days. But that’s me…

Should the wind change, causing the firefighters have to fall back… Does it ever occur to these idiots, that a Firefighter or Police officer may lose their life trying to find or protect their moronic asses? 

Of course not…

Nope! All these people think about is their own selfish desires and self importance.

So, for the sake of the morons in the crowd.

Fire Hot

Fire has big red things climbing trees and crawling on bushes

Smoke from fire hard to breath its bad

Firefighters make fire go away

When Fireman tells you to go away… Do it!  

Go find someone else to annoy perhaps you can go chat up someone in the media I’m sure one of them would love to hear your inane driveling about big fire, lots of smoke, and that you were scared.

The media won’t even bother to ask if you’re a resident or why you crossed an evacuation line in the first place.

One last thing… we pretty much all agree that the Main Stream Media are a bunch of idiots… So since THEY are out of the evacuation areas what does that say about those folks that cross evacuation lines on foot?

Think about it.

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Why I turn down gracious offers to stay with friends during evacuations

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After sleeping for 10+ hours I feel a little more like normal.

The Dog slept soundly and is more like his normal self this morning.

We’re still evacuated it doesn’t look like that’s going to change today. It might but I’m thinking more likely I’ll be here at the hotel until tomorrow.

I’m good with it.

Friends have offered shelter and I am very grateful for those offers.

We’ve not taken them up on their unbelievably generous offers for a couple reasons.

1) We hate to impose…

Yes I know friends say it’s not an imposition and they mean it. But think about it, It’s one thing to have guests stay for the weekend or a defined time and you can deal with that. In this case, I can’t tell anyone when I’ll be leaving. They can’t make plans for their weekend or possibly well into next week for that matter.

2) We have a large dog…

Simple Black And White Modern Living Room Ideas By Tumidei

Believe me 85 pounds of curious happy go lucky retriever is not something you invite into your home lightly.

The dog is very well behaved. He likes cats, he likes children, and generally he will respond to command unless he’s wound himself up to the point of needing to hear me tell him he’s a bad dog.

Think about this,  if your house isn’t childproofed it’s surely not retriever proofed.

All those expensive hand blown, one of a kind glass trinkets artfully arranged on a shelf 5 inches off the ground?

GONE! in one swipe of happy puppy tail.

That bookshelf with magazines and expensive coffee table books casually arranged to invite someone to read them? HAHAHAAHA that shelf is cleared and nicely dusted by a hairy dog trying to sniff the squirrel he can see through the window behind the shelf.

When we decline your gracious invitation, It’s nothing personal my friends. You don’t have a dog in your house for a reason… You like your lives to have some order and you prefer to be able to display your art in a manner around your home that is appealing to you.

This is as it should be, and I appreciate from the bottom of my heart your willingness to open your home to us…

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But I’ve been in your homes and I look at the beauty, and picture a large dog, no matter how well behaved in the middle of your place, and I shudder.

Believe me a hotel room is cheaper and is going to do less damage to our relationship.

Even those of my friends who have pets.

Think about this… My dog likes cats… he wants to play with them and often they don’t want to play with him. This results in the potential for chases, usually ending in crashing crockery.

Those of you who have dogs. You know that some dogs just don’t get along with other dogs. My dog is generally sweet but every once in a while he encounters another dog that says “your momma”.

This ends with me and the owner of the other dog having our shoulders yanked out of the socket because the two dogs have decided to take care of business and it’s all we can do to restrain them.

Imagine for a moment how that might play out if my dog is invading your dogs space…

If we stay then it’s going to be all about marching one dog outside while the other is inside, Then changing the guard 4 or 5 hours later. Your dog deserves not having their routine disrupted.

So unless my dog and your dog have met before and not had any issues I’m going to decline your invitation.

You may think this is all about the dog…

Well, yes and no.

It’s really about me. If I’m having to worry about your house being trashed accidentally, or our dogs fighting, or my dog chasing your cat out of the house…

I’m not going to be able to rest or get much of anything done. It’s really about my ability to tell the dog “Go lay down” and have him do that so he can rest too.

Being evacuated is stressful for a human, imagine what it’s like for a dog who doesn’t really understand what is going on or why.

The dog is part of my family too, so yes I guess a lot of it is about the dog. However a lot of it is about my friendships.

So don’t be offended when I turn you down.

It’s that I value our friendship more than the trivial cost of a hotel room.