Sunday morning, Jan. 20, 2008

BRRR! Good morning folks,
It is "zero" this morning and snow is on the ground too. Very, very cold!

Well, last Saturday night, hubby closed the screen on the fireplace downstairs and the screen caught the damper handle and closed the damper. Well, about an hour or so later, smoke woke him up, ( he fell asleep on the couch in the living room), and he rushed downstairs. The whole basement and the entire upstairs was filled with smoke! I was asleep in the back bedroom, and I woke up coughing! I jumped out of bed, raced through the house looking for hubby. I opened the basement door and hollered for him and he was down there opening vents and doors, starting fans to let out the thick, acrid smoke. I raced around the upstairs, (threw both cats in the back bedroom and turned on the ceiling fan), and proceeded to open more doors and windows to the outside, and also turn on all the ceiling and exhaust fans everywhere. What a mess! Within minutes, I was choking and coughing, and got a really bad headache and my throat was really beginning to get raw. The temperature outside was 30 degrees. Trying to get the smoke out was a dilemma, as the warm air inside was fighting with the cold air outside. Hubby brought up an osculating fan and we put it at the front door with it wide open. Meanwhile, I am running back and forth checking on the cats in the back room. Tooter was really upset and making crying noises. I couldn't let them out of the bedroom, least they panic and try to go out the doors that were open!

Finally around 3 a.m., the smoke was pretty much cleared away, but the smell was awful!
I grabbed a can of Lysol and Fabreze and sprayed everywhere, then went to bed to get a little sleep as I knew I had a major task before me the next day of trying to get rid of all the smoke smell.

I am so thankful that neither of us died of smoke inhalation (carbon monoxide poisoning), and we both were able to wake up instead of being overcome by the smoke. So many times you hear of people who have died in this kind of scenario. We are so blessed! Thank you, God! Wow!

This past Saturday, I did eight loads of laundry (furniture covers both up and down), and scrubbed down the entire basement. What a job. But, it still smells of wood smoke downstairs. I suppose it will take time to dissipate. At least I can't smell it upstairs anymore. Why are built-in smoke alarms never went off is a mystery to us. We went the next morning to the hardware store and purchased a smoke alarm for the upper hallway to the downstairs, and also a carbon monoxide detector, which hubby installed immediately in the basement. This all happened about a year ago too, and now hubby has fixed the damper handle so that it does not happen again! Yes!

This week was also a very disturbing week. I can't reveal details, but I truly believe a gal I know and her two children are in the gravest of danger from her soon-to-be-ex-husband. He is really nuts and is now stalking her. He has repeatedly told her she is going to die and I believe without a doubt he means it. Please pray for her and her children.

I have had the honor of being listed on several authors websites that I have made friends with at http://www.authornation.com/. I am really excited about this, and hope it will generate more sales for my books. I have also reciprocated and put them on this website as well. My computer guy is working on making a listing of: "Off-site links" for anyone interested in their books as well, so check it out as soon as it gets on here. One of the books, "Hold On Jessica, Don't Let Go" will be listed under "books to read" and is an excellent book about a two children living with an alcoholic parent. A very good book and I highly recommend it.

I'm considering doing another website at http://www.authorsden.com/ . An author friend of mine, Debbie Alferio, (a very good writer- "A Forever Kind of Love"), recommended it. Websites are very time consuming, but hey, I have to get the word out there about my books in order to sell them!

Gotta go for now. Until next time, stay safe, and warm, and be blessed this day. Life is a precious gift.
Becky :)