After the house fire last summer, one of the many little decisions I made about posting related updates was that I would share them publicly on Facebook and leave them that way for awhile. I never set a date or time as to when I would go back through and make them private, but I knew they would land over here eventually.
Last night, as I worked on moving the updates over, I realized today would be the eleven month anniversary of the house fire. A lot has changed in the world (not just mine). I figured that since I'm in the neighborhood, now's a good time to update you on life since the last official update in mid-August.
If you don't know what has been going on in the last year (or fell behind on the updates) - which is okay, because I fell behind in posting them - here's links to the posts on my blog to get you up to date. The *ed links indicate posts you'll want to read in order for some of the updates in this blog to make sense.
- First Facebook Post AND Other Non-Update Facebook Posts from the Fire (START HERE IF YOU'RE JUST JOINING US)
- Update #1
- Update #2
- Update #3
- Update #4
- Update #5
- Update #6
- Update #7
- Update #8
- Update #9
- Update #10*
- Update #11*
- Update #12
- Update #13*
- Updates #14 & 15
- Update #16
- Six Month Update*
- Christmas Post
I refuse to apologize for how many links there are, but I completely understand if those of you who were keeping up blow past them for the newest updates.
Here you go.
My parents/James/my youngest sister/my uncle
My parents, my youngest sister, and my uncle settled into the new house fairly quickly, but it took James a lot longer. He's only become comfortable enough with the house to treat it like home since the beginning of the year. Also around the beginning of the year, Dad started an at-home bible study in their neighborhood. It, like many things, has been interrupted by the current pandemic. Overall, things seem to be well.
My younger sister/her family
I wish I had better news on this front, but it's mixed with good and not-so-good. The not-so-good is that they have yet to find a permanent home. Their best prospect, at this point, is still months away from move-in (if it works out). Since the outbreak of CoVid-19, they've been staying with my parents.
My younger sister's oldest was enrolled in school in our area before the fire, so until the schools closed down because of the pandemic, he was spending the week at my parents' house and the weekend with his parents. One of the brightest spots since the fire has been his performance in school this year. My nephew has some learning challenges that have put him behind, but he's made great strides this year towards catching up with his classmates.
The old house site
The family trust made the decision to tear down what was left of the house. It was demolished back in September. Seeing it go down was difficult. I didn't exactly feel up to writing about it at the time.
That said, it's easier to look at the corner now that I don't have to look at a burnt-out structure.
Not easy. Just easier.
That said, it's easier to look at the corner now that I don't have to look at a burnt-out structure.
Not easy. Just easier.
The trespassing
Out of the many people who likely picked their way through the old house before it was torn down, two sets of people were caught and charged with trespassing. The city attorney ultimately decided to not pursue charges against the first set of people who were caught. One of the two in the second set was sentenced, and I haven't heard anything about the other.
Before all of this happened, I knew and understood on an intellectual level how this kind of situation could play out. Now I know it on a whole different level. I'm not crazy about the circumstances, but I feel like I walked away with some good perspective.
Annnd... me
There's a lot of things I could say about how I'm doing. Here's what I'm choosing to share at the moment.
First, I picked up a contractor-like position at the end of the summer that operates on a project by project basis. Not writing, but bills need to get paid. You know what I mean?
Second, I decided it would be in the best interest of my mental health to see a trauma counselor. I haven't regretted it. I'm still working through some things on my own. I have the tools to do it better because I took that step and I'm leaving myself the option to go back if/when I need to.
Third, me and writing.
Well, around Christmas time I started doing some short writing sprints with prompts as inspiration. I kept up with it through the middle of March, but the pandemic has made things a little crazy. I'm hoping to start back on that soon. Most of the stories I wrote from those sprints aren't worth much. There are a few gems I want to sit down and polish at some point. though.
No, I haven't worked on the novels or the novellas since the fire. I've had some inspiration for the novel series recently (which I'm excited about). The ideas coming from burst that are currently simmering in my head.
Am I ready to write any of it down yet? No.
Am I excited for when the time comes? Yes.
Conclusion
I think that's everything for now. I'm still in the process of making some decisions about this blog and the direction I want to take it in. I'm hoping to have decided and be able to communicate what I intend to do in the next two weeks. Stay tuned.
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