Please Pray For Squeaky

Halloween night, our trailer went up in flames.

Quantum had just woken me up to watch Next Iron Chef America, so I think it was about 9pm Colorado time. Bare seconds later I smelled smoke and grabbed the puppy to get him out of the way. I reacted out of sheer instinct (puppy will just make things worse by being in the way) and didn't even consider that we were about to lose our home and all our possessions.

Smoke was coming from the bed. Our dearly beloved electric blanket the seeming culprit. While I dragged the puppy over to CK's trailer, Quantum looked for the fire extinguisher, (it wasn't in it's usual place) and then tried pulling the blankets off the bed.

In less than 3 minutes a sheet of fire erupted from the bed and began to envelop the trailer. I screamed for CK to grab the dog and for Quantum to get the hell out.

The door was open throughout all this. We are hoping and praying that Squeaky, my beloved kitty, survived. We've looked through the rubble that is left, and haven't found his body. CK says he thinks he saw him run out of the trailer and head for the woods. I believe I've found tracks that could be Squeaky's. And I've been calling for him in the woods now for 9 days with no answer.

Amazing, the entire field and woods weren't burned down. Though the winds here usually flow in one direction or another, that night they formed a vortex, swirling in a circular pattern and keeping the flames localized.  Perhaps Steve and Dad and Grandma were helping.

It was two or three hours before I realized that I was barefoot. I escaped with a t-shirt, a pair of pants and that was it, not even a bra or socks.

The trailer burned down in mere minutes. Everything we own was lost, 30 plus years of my writing, 3 computers, six months supplies of beans and dried foods and who knows what else. Even if we'd had cell phone reception (we didn't) our cell phone went up in smoke as well.  I'm devastated by the loss of our possessions - photos, books, writings, the stuffed critters I got for my first Christmas, my Dad's and Grandma's ashes - now ashes in the wind, I guess...so much else.


But above all, I'm missing my kitty boy. And even if he survived, the woods are vast and there are coyotes. To any and all who are kind enough to pray for his safe return, I am grateful. If it helps you to know what he looks like, he's black and short haired, with a long tail and a slightly larger than proportional chest. He has a small white star on his chest and his armpits and belly have a few white hairs. His eyes are olive green-gold. He's 9 years old and has been my dearest support since adopted him from a former roommate whose ex abused him. I do not have a picture of him to post, even, as those too were lost in the fire, and I hadn't yet uploaded them here.

In the past few days, folks have been kind to us, and RY and his wife Sue were sweet enough to give us a small pickup-top trailer that they had, so hopefully today we will be able to move out of CK's trailer where we have been living  (very crowded) for the past week or more.

I'm posting this from the library and it may be some time before I again have computer and internet to post.