December 28 - Maine

I do not wish, nor intend, to keep reliving what happened one very short month ago. I will not, however, be able to forget that night and the ensuing madness. That is probably a good thing as far as safety goes. We take so much for granted, and I see people being careless with every day tasks, items, and well, just the way they live. Some people have thought of me as a bit, well, OCD I suppose when it comes to things like that.

Like having the cat carriers in the room (just in case); installing fire extinguishers in several rooms (just in case); etc. etc. Will I change my ways? No - what happened was an affirmation of my "quirks".

And YES. I know, I know, I know - and have been chastised over and over again about going back inside. In my PJs and robe. In the thick black smoke. It was not to grab a pair of pants and socks. It was not to grab photos. It was not to grab my portable safe. I went back to try to grab my kitties. Then my neighbors started screaming at me (all of them).

Would I do it again? Was it worth all these weeks of not being able to breathe properly and coughing? I have asked myself that question. Fire happens so very quickly; more quickly that you can possibly imagine (it is not like the movies, trust me). In that 1 or 2 minutes you have... while your head is processing what is happening... what would you do? That is all you get. One or 2 minutes.

Yeah. I would.

Maine. It is quiet and peaceful up here. The air is cold but it is clean and my lungs are finally clearing up (as much as they can) from the fire and ensuing madness. I noticed yesterday that I am able to breathe better than I have in weeks. This is a good thing. A very good thing :)

New Year's is fast approaching; my sister and her other half will arrive tomorrow for a weekend of festivities. I am looking forward to it! There will be food, company, and laughter.

Thanks to the unexpected generosity of a good friend, I will do some shopping next week and pick up a few sweaters, heavy socks, etc. that I was unable to salvage. New pair of nice warm gloves, too! It has been pretty darn cold up here... wind off the ocean and temps run about 8-10 degrees colder.

I have said before, I do believe everything happens for a reason. I really, truly believe that. I have had some breathing room, literally and figuratively. It has helped so much. Brain has re-engaged. A new chapter has begun for me. I am not quite ready to make plans yet for the future, but I know that will come in time (and it will not be long before my brain starts making those lists and plans!).

This is a new chapter for me. Unexpected, certainly. But here for a reason. In a way, I feel as I did when I began my trip to Canada - the unknown. So I will approach it that way. I did bring my oils and easel and brushes :) It will certainly not be 3 months of "stranded in Maine, woe is me". I will not let it :)

It will be an adventure!!

I will post again next week after the food and festivities. For now, I will leave you with the official AP newspaper article and photo of the fire. Just to get it out of my system. Those lights and ladders you see up on the second floor? That is / was my apartment. And we all know who caused the fire. It was not any one of us on the second or third floors.

Careless smoking likely ignited Ayer fire

By Chris Lisinski, clisinski@lowellsun.com

AYER - A fire that displaced four families from their apartment building on Monday evening was likely caused by a cigarette, officials said.

A fire spread through the walls just after 6 p.m. Monday. There were no injuries in the blaze, though the four families who lived there were forced to spend the night elsewhere. An investigation revealed the cause was careless disposal of smoking materials, Ayer Fire Chief Robert Pedrazzi said Tuesday.
"We're thinking it was a cigarette," he said. "It started on an outside porch and extended into the walls."
Pedrazzi said the four-unit apartment building suffered about $250,000 in damage and that repairs would take "an extended period of time." Until those are complete, the tenants will not be able to return to their homes.

"The house was built in 1900," Pedrazzi said. "It was probably quite elaborate when it was built ... But the way it's built, if they want to put it back the way it was, it's going to take some time."

Firefighters from Littleton, Devens, Shirley, and Lunenburg provided mutual aid at the scene, while firefighters from Groton provided coverage at Ayer fire stations Monday. Responders took about an hour to contain the blaze and were on the scene for approximately two and a half hours.