The newspaper ran a story on the house fire.
Short and (bitter)Sweet.
This is the first photo I have seen of the house. The caption said it was taken my a high-school classmate of mine.
The New House
Well, mom and dad are moved into an apartment in Centuria. They had to go shopping to get stuff to move in. New beds, blankets, TV, clothes, just about anything you can think of.
One of the first things on dad’s list was some drafting tools so he could start drawing up the new house. He faxed me over a copy – yeah, I know, first a cell phone, now faxing!
Here is a copy of the drawing that dad made. Most of the garage and a slice down the middle of the house got cut off.
Some of the high points of the new house are:
The living room is almost exactly how the old living room was, bay window and all. My folks wanted to feel at home when they sat down in the living room.
Very open flowing design. The central room in the house is the dining room, just like in the old house.
The opening between the living room and the dining room is very large, and the corners are arched, just like in the old house.
Large great room for us kids to sleep in when visiting with french doors to the dining room and a sliding glass door to outside. Mom also gets to use this room as her computer and sewing room.
Common bathroom to my folk’s bedrooms.
Check out them closets, no, count them, and see how big they are.
The garage has a ton of storage in it as well.
I started to ‘build’ the house using Google Sketchup so we can see the new house before we even clear the old one off the foundation.
This is just a rough rendering. I have to add the garage, doors, windows, closets, major furniture, etc. My overall plan is to add the rest of the buildings and all the trees in the yard properly positioned. This will allow us to ‘look’ out the windows.
How cool would that be?
Guest Post from my sister.
Hey all,
Thank you for all the kind words and thoughts this week. My parents and all pets are fine. The house however did not make it. Even though my parents had lived there for 37 years and had many memories lost they are very optimistic and my father already has rough sketches for a new home right over the old one! They have had lots of help and the house was insured so they will be ok. It’s a shock but most all the sentimental things were scooped up on the way out, retrieved by firefighters, or dug out later.
Also, due to the lack of home I have now added yet another cat to the two we already have at the house. However this cat managed to hide UNDER the house the entire time the house was on fire and then walked around for a day with icicles hanging off of him so I think he deserves a comfy new house! If anyone’s questioning the ice… you shoot gobs of water at a house for 12 hours in 4 below weather and see what happens!
So as stated before, they are fine, they have what they need. What I can ask of all of you is to put important papers in lock boxes, put important pictures NEXT to the front door, make sure your smoke detectors work and are in appropriate places, use those little jewelry cases you get your rings in to store your jewels – this is the only way we would have found heirloom rings, and for gods sake, when you smell smoke upstairs don’t DON’T send your spouse up to make sure it really is a fire! Geesh Dad!
The Creuzer’s send their thanks.
Jennifer
Phone call
Mom just called.
They are all ok. They stopped at Walmart. Picked up 2 cell phones. I have both mom and dad’s new phone numbers.
They both sounded upbeat all things considered. Dad said it hasn’t really hit them yet though.
They are going to meet the insurance adjuster at Holiday Inn later today.
Mom said that the firemen did a great job hauling stuff out of the house. She still has her ironing board.
It sounds like they will be staying at the Holiday Inn tonight.
Lost parents… FOUND
Ok, now I know how parents feel when their kids are gone and don’t call to check in.
I figured that my folks would either stay at Grandma’s house with Auntie Laurie and Therese, or at the Holiday Inn because the sheriff gave them a voucher for the night.
I talked to Jennifer midmorning today, and she had spoken with Laurie, who hadn’t seen my folks today. She called Holiday Inn, and they said that they didn’t check in because they don’t allow dogs. Jen called Mary Wallin, who had driven down to the house last night, and they weren’t there either.
Great, where are my folks?
I gave Lenny, the mechanic a call, he had been out there last night. He said that a Karen or a Kim from Milltown had come and picked them up for the night.
Ok, a lead. I called the Karen I know that mom works with. Nope, not there, they are in Osceola. I called Karen, my great aunt or some such relation who lives in Milltown, nope, not her either. But, she had just heard the news, and had just tried calling the house.
I called Jen, let her know that I couldn’t find the folks. Then Karen from Milltown called, Good news, they have been found, they are at Walmart, looking at cell phone stuff.
So, I know my folks are alive and well. It was cold last night, it got down to 6 below, and it’s currently 1 degree outside. I have yet to talk to them today, but I talked to somebody who talked to somebody who talked to them.
Gotta love small town comunities and global communications. It took me half an hour on my lunch break to find my folks, 1800 miles away.
Jen should be getting there in a few hours.