Feb 24: email to sister Patty and her response

Big decisions indeed! I guess little by little it will sink in to you on what you need to salvage from the wreckage. Overwhelming is what comes to mind. Please know we are thinking of you and are sending positive thoughts your way. Love and hugs to you two. Oh and by all means get the liquor! Can I send you some clothing, shoes, coats? Not sure where to send it but you can let me know.
Patty & John

barbara houghton <barbarahoughton2@me.com> wrote:

Met with insurance folks yesterday. They still don’t know the cause and are very helpful with getting us some money, renting us cars, and hiring a few investigators to see what they can determine happened. They know we did nothing to cause this. They will hire movers to work with us to get the salvaged stuff out. They will rent us an apartment, house or condo until our house is rebuilt if it can be. A guy should be down there right now to be figuring that out. Keith and I and the cats stayed down the street at our wonderful neighbors and will house sit for them this next week because Carol is going back down to Florida where her husband Gary is already. So, that part is all good. My classes are being covered right now but I hope to go in tomorrow to teach my book class how to sew a hand made book. If I can’t I think one of the other faculty who taught book making could do that demo for me. The forensic inspector will be here tomorrow with the fire marshal to begin the insurance company specialized search for meaning. The great part is that the two studios upstairs and Keith’s downstairs were mostly ok. We got the computers, the big good printer and hard drives out. We still need to get others out because, of course, I have a ton of storage devices. I haven’t cranked any up yet but I need to to get house pictures and landscape digging pictures for the insurance company. Luckily, this fall we changed insurance companies and took care to get really great coverage for EVERYTHING INCLUDING CARS, CONTENTS, SPECIAL EQUIPMENT, AND THE BUILDING and Liability. There are many theories of what may have happened but no one can say quite for sure. 

We are holding up ok, but in the middle of the night, when I can’t sleep, I do feel a bit overwhelmed with the gravity of it and the fact that I could have lost Keith who was in the shower so close to the ground zero, and I could have lost the cats who seem to be a bit freaked but basically adjusting to moving about.

We have had hundreds of offers for help but don’t know what we need to do yet. Once we get our temporary glasses to see again later today and cars to drive, we can begin to live a bit more like normal people without a home or many items of clothing. I am using cheaters for the present time because I cannot see anything close in focus. Keith has to squint to read, or see anything clearly. Our eye docs office is ordering new replacements just like the ones we had for the long run. 

My first hope is after today or tomorrow to try to save some priceless books and get some of the artwork out of the house, clean out the freezer, get the liquor and wine because we really need a drink!

We also need the damn tv stations to give a bit of privacy to us for a while so we can figure out stuff. We have no idea if we really should rebuild or find another place to live because there is no cause determined yet. We have to figure out new or used cars, I have no shoes only books and one of my crock sandals. We would like to try to find all my jewelry that was in the closet and bathroom drawer. I would like to recover some of my milagros that were on the bathroom wall. I would like to see if the big slab of corian is still on the deck that was going to Maysville. 

So to answer all of your generous offers, questions and concerns, we are basically fine trying to keep our sense of humor although a bit dark. We invited one of the students over to do done of his narrative pictures inside if he wants to. He’s doing images that suggest that something is about to happen or has just happened that changes someone’s life. 

As things move along this week, I will try to fill you in and let you know what we might need. I send love and my gratitude to all of you for just being there. You can share this if you like  since we have so little privacy left on Beiting Drive with all the looky-loos. 

Barry and Diane were our first angels who came to our rescue and took such good care of us immediately. More generous folks are all around on our block with our neighbors who are also facing loss and shock. So, it’s only stuff but friends, family and our animals are really everything. 

Thanks all of you. Barbara