Saving What's Important

I live in Victoria, Australia, in an area which is considered very much at risk for bushfire (in America they call it "forest fire"). This summer we've been concerned about the conditions here, as so far there has only been 2 decent rains here since before Christmas, and we've had several hot, windy days. I'm truly hopeful that we'll get through without any problems, but February is (statistically) the worst month for fires - and and we take it seriously.

My husband and I learned a tough lesson in 2009 when the catastrophic fires of what is now called "Black Saturday" tore through the state, killing 173 people and leaving thousands suddenly homeless.

The Country Fire Authority (CFA) each year conducts a public education and awareness program, explaining the nature of the problem and the importance of every resident to have a "fire plan". People who live in our area keep close tabs on developing conditions and have varying levels of preparation which the perform every year as fire season (aka: summer) approaches.

Stephen and I have a fire plan - a document in which we've outlined exactly what we do to prepare, and what we'll do if there's actually a fire in our area. We also have a safe place where we can store photographs, important documents, and any items we would hate to lose. At the start of fire season, we pack up our precious "irreplaceables" and move them to safety. My wedding dress, Aunt Mary's table cloth, photos and so on. As things here look scarier and scarier, we take more and more things away to our "safe haven".

This year... well... I've also moved my UFO stash. All those meters of uncut calico, oh I'd just be crushed if anything happened to it. So off it went, packed away and safely stored. Now, you'll laugh: have I stored away clothes? No. Uncut calico? Yes. Where's the logic in that? OK. You've got me; there isn't much logic, other than I can go to Target and buy a new pair of jeans, but a lot of that calico would be just about impossible to replace.

So I've done what I can to prepare, and I hope all this effort proves to have been unnecessary.

And I pray fervently that the weather will ease, we'll get the rain we need, and everyone in our community is safe.