Moving On

I can't believe it has only been 12 days since the fire. It feels like a couple of months!  Needless to say, we've been very busy. We've just about finished our house contents inventory list. I spent anywhere from 6-8 hours a day for most of last week typing it in and checking prices online or in stores.  Then I set it aside, but at least once a day I had to go back and add something I forgot.  Keith has been on the phone several times with our insurance adjuster, Lee. We had planned to meet him in Gatlinburg last Tuesday, but our property wasn't accessible until later in the week.  He went ahead and took his photos on Thursday and then called us to get answers to questions about the house. He thinks his report (pertaining only to the "structure") will be ready next week.  Once we see what is covered under "structure" we will be able to finish our list for "contents".  Well, that's probably more than you ever wanted to know about insurance claims!

I mentioned in the last post that I was dreading the trip back up the mountain, but we really needed to go put up some caution tape and "sift through our ashes."  Lee sent Keith copies of the photos he took so we had a pretty good idea of what we were going to see. Knowing what to expect before we got there made it easier for me. (We saw one of our neighbors and she was quite upset because she had no idea how bad it really was!) We determined our house was gone from viewing a long-distance aerial shot.  That softened the blow.  Then once we accepted that reality, we viewed our damage in close up shots, one image at a time. That made it easier when we actually set foot on the property. In case you were hoping for photos - sorry, not happening. Surveying our damage is a personal private thing so I'm not gonna put it on display here. 

Our house was located way up high against a cliff and everything that burned went down. Keith, Jenny, and Jeff went below but I stayed up top. Getting down there without the steps or anything to hold on to was too treacherous for me. The last thing I need right now is a broken body part!  I stayed up top and surveyed the damage beyond the rail.  I felt like a coroner examining a cadaver!  There was lots of scrap metal laying around. I identified my stove, sink, and water heater. Our grill had rolled partway down the mountain. Half of my metal dinette chairs were inside the foundation and half were in the yard. We found Keith's aluminum ladder....melted. We found all these metal poles and decided they were what was left of our Coleman folding chairs. Jenny was able to salvage two of the four metal sculptures that used to hang in my dinette area.  We hope to refurbish them for the next house. 

 

Jenny also found one of my Christmas bell ornaments from the Christmas tree. If I had had a ribbon I would have tied it around my neck!  All of the stone from the front of the house is laying in the driveway. We hope to gather some of it and make a bench or table or something for the next house. Oh, there is one other thing that made it through the fire. In fact, as far as I could tell, this particular item survived at every single house that burned!  (Keep in mind, this fire was so hot that my neighbors iron skillets were welded together!) Anybody want to guess what it is?  

 

That, my friends, is a FIREPROOF, bear-proof trash can cage!  Every house still has one!  The paint melted off and the cans inside melted but that sucker is still standing. Whoever makes those things could do a commercial about just how sturdy they are!  

Oh, and there's one other thing on the mountain that is still as beautiful as ever. 

 

Anyway, we had our "funeral" and then we headed to Gatlinburg for some fun. I put on my Santa hat and filled my pockets with candy canes and headed to town, to spread good cheer!  It was good to see so many people bustling about town.  In the parking lot I saw cars from all over the South. That means so much to the locals. Tourism is their livelihood. We started with lunch at Old Dad's. Those boys behind the counter got a handful of candy canes. I think they made sandwiches all week for firemen.  The lady at the check-out was so gracious and friendly. The mood in town was magical. We saw a few tears but mostly lots of hugs and smiles. Even the tourists seemed a little friendlier. 

After lunch we headed to the Village to do some shopping. One of our favorite shops, The Day Hiker, was having a big clearance sale. (All the hiking merchandise was 75% off and comes "pre-smoked"!) Each of us bought something then we headed over to the Donut Friar for donuts and hot chocolate. None of us needed the calories but we decided to splurge anyway!

 

 

 

(That spooky looking midget by the window is a statue, not a real friar!) After donuts we headed home to continue planning Smoky Point II.  We've had conversations with my nephew (who just happens to be a builder of custom log homes) and when we got home there was a big box he sent me sitting on our porch. 

 

Yep, we are moving on!  

The Process After the Fire

Disclaimer:  I want to say right up front that I'm not trying to hold a pity party here.  I just need to vent. And perhaps some of my words will give people food for thought about what to do if you ever have a disaster.

I don't think of myself as a "victim of disaster" but I guess I am (sort of).  I have received a tremendous amount of love, kind words, and warm thoughts from friends, family, long lost acquaintances, and total strangers. (My social media "friends" list is growing). This whole thing has confirmed my belief in the goodness of people. Again I must say how much we appreciate your kindness.

As I already wrote in the previous blog, we escaped the fire on Monday, we waited for news on Tuesday, and we got confirmation on Wednesday. I felt relief on Wednesday and I thought perhaps the worst was over. Uh, no!  You see as a "victim of disaster" I can tell you that your first reaction is to be shocked (Monday), stunned (Tuesday), and then numb (Wednesday).  I think numbness is what allows us to get through the very tough times without falling apart. But Thursday and Friday have come and a lot has been happening.

Yesterday we got to work on the insurance paperwork. Okay for those of you who've never experienced a disaster: If you are at home right now, take a moment, stop reading and look around the room.  Give it a good look - I'll wait.  Now close your eyes and try to list every single item in the room. This is what you have to do when you file a claim - every item in every room!  Furthermore, you have to estimate the replacement value. Could you do it?  Do you know how many t-shirts are in that drawer?  How many pairs of shoes do you own?  Can you remember everything you have in your kitchen cabinets?  What's in your attic?  How much will it cost to replace your furniture?  Well, you get the idea.  Fortunately, (unbeknownst to me) while I was running through the house collecting items of sentimental value, Keith was running through the house taking photographs ("just in case"). Also, we recently refinanced to get a lower interest rate and the appraiser was very thorough.  He took lots of pictures, plus I have taken a ton of pictures. So we sat down with our photos and started the long arduous task of listing all our stuff.

TIP # 1: Photograph your stuff! Especially the important stuff!

Okay, once I learned our house was gone I just said over and over "how glad I am to be alive" and "it's just a house and it can be replaced".  As long as I kept telling myself those words, I was fine. I just kept focusing on those words and I refused to think about any "thing" inside that house. After all, it's just stuff and stuff doesn't matter - or does it?  For insurance purposes, through photos, I was forced to step inside again and look at the contents of every room. I was okay inventorying the laundry room, pantry, and broom closet. No problem!  But then we moved into the family room and I remembered the wicker basket that a dear friend hand wove for me as a very special thank-you gift, the handmade  afghan that my mother crocheted, the game board that my father-in-law built for us.... I lost it!  I'm not an overly emotional person, but I had a major meltdown. Precious gifts from special people are treasures that are hard to give up. Wednesday's numbness was gone and Thursday had brought reality and grief. Thursday was the hardest day yet.

 

It's exhausting to keep working on a job you hate. We made it through the laundry room, powder room, pantry, hall closets, living room, dining room, and kitchen, but we still have to go through 3 bedrooms with closets, 3 bathrooms, sitting room, 3 hall closets, the man cave, outdoor storage area, and the upper and lower decks!  Sound like fun? No, but it has to be done. It kind of feels like having an estate sale after somebody dies. By Friday I couldn't breathe. We had listed all the stuff in the aforementioned rooms, but we weren't sure about brands or replacement value on some of it. 

TIP # 2: Keep copies of your receipts, warranties and owner's manuals on all your stuff at a secondary location!

So, on Friday, I opted for Plan B.  Keith is a people oriented, tough when he has to be, good with the phone, business managing kind of man.  I am a boots on the ground, give me a task, go getter kind of woman.  Together we make a pretty good team. He spent the morning talking to insurance people and I did what all stressed out women do - I went shopping! Well, window shopping actually. I spent the morning at places like Lowe's and Target, running through the store taking pictures of stuff! I got lots of strange looks, but I had a job to do. I was like a newlywed creating a bridal registry!  I was checking for the prices on appliances, weed-eaters, gas grills, linens, rugs, electronics, and everything else we had on our list. I went up and down every aisle and, as you might expect, I saw some stuff that we had forgotten to put on the list.  Things like - wait!  (All you photographers close your eyes and stop up your ears.  This is gonna be painful.) I lost ALL of my expensive camera equipment!!!  And my laptop.  So,  going down the aisles jogged my faulty memory.  I don't want to leave anything important off the list. 

TIP # 3: Don't rely solely on your memory and/or your photos! Try to procure your purchase histories if possible!

Meanwhile, back at the hacienda, Keith spent the morning on the phone with the various (3) insurance people assigned to our claim.  Up until now they have been wonderful, saying all the things we want to hear, but on Friday Keith had to field some strange questions: "What is your current income?" "How often do you go out to eat?" "How many times a week do you go to the dry cleaners?"  No, I didn't make that up!  He was being asked some bizarre questions without being given a reason why they were important. Then they wanted him to start listing the contents of our house to them over the phone. It was about then that Keith had his meltdown. He considers his time to be a valuable commodity. We were already filling out the papers - we weren't going to be reading them out over the phone.  No swift settlement here! We will take our full given 60 days to complete this process and it will be thoroughly documented!

TIP # 4: Take your time and be thorough! Don't let anyone rush you into a quick settlement!

So Friday has brought frustration and mental and physical exhaustion. There are lots of phases to this process and there are still more phases to come. We still haven't actually stepped on the property. I think our area is supposed to (finally) open back up to property owners (only) tomorrow but we are waiting until early next week to go down and meet there with one of our 3 insurance adjusters. Who knows what we'll be feeling by then.  I have seen more video footage of my street. It's bad, but I did see one house standing in the midst of the rubble. (And the lucky winner is Chalet Village Rental 403!)  It's difficult to watch the film. Cars are going up the road we know so well, but it's barely recognizable without the houses. Like I said before, I dread the visit.  I just want to get through these many "feeling phases" and move on with my life. I want to be able to look forward to Christmas, our January trip to Florida, our big secret family bash coming up in April, hiking again in the summer.  There are still some bright things in our future - we just gotta get through this nasty charred bump in the road!