Oh you made me gasp in horror, laugh at the irony and chaos, the sigh with the apt metaphor of an avalanche and release and cry when I saw the tattoo. This was a powerful evocation of grief and recovery.
WHAT a chain of events! I started laughing is disbelief at the water shooting out of the light fixture. Holy shit! No doubt in my mind this was all Snoots doing.
I’m moving through a different kind of grief, but your mention of trauma points, of items and spaces being actors, really reframed some things. Gonna do some deep cleaning today.
I’m glad you are all ok and that your house is standing. Chimney fires are violent and scary and in 45 years of heating with wood, I’ve had just one and I NEVER want another.
I had stupidly jammed in a bunch of cardboard on top of the fire and that set it off. It sounded like a freight train was plowing through my house and the black stove-pipe glowed red with the heat. I closed the flu and damped the stove down immediately, ran outside to see sparks coming out the stove pipe top, came back inside and went up to the attic to check if all was ok up there. It was and, with no air getting to the wood box, the fire inside was extinguished. I called my sweep at 11pm and he came over the next morning. After his inspection, he told me I had done everything right and my metal chimney pipe and roof looked ok. I had been able to put it the out fairly quickly and save my house but not all are so lucky.
Have you considered installing a woodstove? A fireplace and baseboards aren’t very efficient sources of heat, which I’m sure by now you have figured out. For 40 years I burned in Vermont Castings wood stoves, the last one has moved to the wood-burning sauna. Several years back I switched to an all metal Blaze King and love it.
I also gasped out loud when you got to the water-drenching-you part -- like, if some put this in a television script, the producers would go "Guys, that's a _little_ heavy-handed there..." The tattoo is such a perfect remembrance
I just had to enlist a friend who drives to help me take my cat to the emergency vet this morning, for what is looking like $6000+ attempt to find out what abruptly caused his hind legs to stop working (painfully, judging by his screaming) this morning. (Spinal stroke, possibly -- I probably need to take him to the place with a neurology set-up), so...feeling all of this a lot.
Rest in mayhem, Snoots. ❤️ It's not hard to make me fall in love with a cat, even one I've never met before, but you did it so beautifully. Absolutely love the tattoo!
Damn woman, Snoots wanted to shake things up. And hot tip (pun intended), nothing puts a chimney fire out faster than a box of baking soda. We've had it for every wood fired house we've lived in and I've used it to put out grill fires and oven fires too. Buy the extra large box. ;)
I love your metaphor for grief — If grief is a haunted house, you need to deal with the actors first. Dealing with a big loss over the past year, I've read (too) many books on grief and your shared understanding is one of my favorites! I'm glad Snoots got his message across and hope the inevitable future mayhem he brings from the other side is a little less intense. :) Also, love the tattoo!
Jesus Christ!!! when it rains it pours ... ash and fire and snow and leaks and avalanches (oh my). The fact that you found levity in all this is fucking courageous, but I guess it’s a testament to what an ace mischief-maker Snoots continues to be 🖤🤍🫶 sending warm-ass thoughts and vibes.
So sorry to hear about Snoots, but he was definitely involved in the chimney drama, albeit from afar!
Hoping you are now water tight and warm and dry. You have a great support there with your neighbours, so important whether you are rural or urban. Love reading your newsletter, from the chilly North of England xx
Oh my gosh- reading this I was so afraid for your home- especially during such a tender time of your life. Glad it all ended ok and with that awesome community you’ve made. I remember not so long ago you looking for friends and Bam! You’ve done it! I lost my pug just over 4 years ago and even now thinking of my Wheezy brings tears to my eyes. I love her so much. Hugs
You went through so much trauma of the most personal kind and I am so very sorry. Glad that you have good friends and neighbors who could help you with the chimney fire (that damned creosote…that happened to us in our wood stove/metal chimney and SO GLAD it was put out before the roof was damaged). So many hugs to you thinking about dear Snoots and love the memorial.
OMGGGG what a cascade of ... events. Snoots was sure shaking things up. Hope the pipe-fixing and chimney repair go well. Grateful you are OK and the house is still standing!
Oh you made me gasp in horror, laugh at the irony and chaos, the sigh with the apt metaphor of an avalanche and release and cry when I saw the tattoo. This was a powerful evocation of grief and recovery.
WHAT a chain of events! I started laughing is disbelief at the water shooting out of the light fixture. Holy shit! No doubt in my mind this was all Snoots doing.
I’m moving through a different kind of grief, but your mention of trauma points, of items and spaces being actors, really reframed some things. Gonna do some deep cleaning today.
I’m glad you are all ok and that your house is standing. Chimney fires are violent and scary and in 45 years of heating with wood, I’ve had just one and I NEVER want another.
I had stupidly jammed in a bunch of cardboard on top of the fire and that set it off. It sounded like a freight train was plowing through my house and the black stove-pipe glowed red with the heat. I closed the flu and damped the stove down immediately, ran outside to see sparks coming out the stove pipe top, came back inside and went up to the attic to check if all was ok up there. It was and, with no air getting to the wood box, the fire inside was extinguished. I called my sweep at 11pm and he came over the next morning. After his inspection, he told me I had done everything right and my metal chimney pipe and roof looked ok. I had been able to put it the out fairly quickly and save my house but not all are so lucky.
Have you considered installing a woodstove? A fireplace and baseboards aren’t very efficient sources of heat, which I’m sure by now you have figured out. For 40 years I burned in Vermont Castings wood stoves, the last one has moved to the wood-burning sauna. Several years back I switched to an all metal Blaze King and love it.
I also gasped out loud when you got to the water-drenching-you part -- like, if some put this in a television script, the producers would go "Guys, that's a _little_ heavy-handed there..." The tattoo is such a perfect remembrance
I just had to enlist a friend who drives to help me take my cat to the emergency vet this morning, for what is looking like $6000+ attempt to find out what abruptly caused his hind legs to stop working (painfully, judging by his screaming) this morning. (Spinal stroke, possibly -- I probably need to take him to the place with a neurology set-up), so...feeling all of this a lot.
Rest in mayhem, Snoots. ❤️ It's not hard to make me fall in love with a cat, even one I've never met before, but you did it so beautifully. Absolutely love the tattoo!
Damn woman, Snoots wanted to shake things up. And hot tip (pun intended), nothing puts a chimney fire out faster than a box of baking soda. We've had it for every wood fired house we've lived in and I've used it to put out grill fires and oven fires too. Buy the extra large box. ;)
I love your metaphor for grief — If grief is a haunted house, you need to deal with the actors first. Dealing with a big loss over the past year, I've read (too) many books on grief and your shared understanding is one of my favorites! I'm glad Snoots got his message across and hope the inevitable future mayhem he brings from the other side is a little less intense. :) Also, love the tattoo!
Well said! And the tattoo is an extraordinarily accurate depiction of Snoots.
Oh sister. Sending love and light (the not flammable kind). Our house burned down in 2012. I feel you.
Jesus Christ!!! when it rains it pours ... ash and fire and snow and leaks and avalanches (oh my). The fact that you found levity in all this is fucking courageous, but I guess it’s a testament to what an ace mischief-maker Snoots continues to be 🖤🤍🫶 sending warm-ass thoughts and vibes.
So sorry to hear about Snoots, but he was definitely involved in the chimney drama, albeit from afar!
Hoping you are now water tight and warm and dry. You have a great support there with your neighbours, so important whether you are rural or urban. Love reading your newsletter, from the chilly North of England xx
Oh my gosh- reading this I was so afraid for your home- especially during such a tender time of your life. Glad it all ended ok and with that awesome community you’ve made. I remember not so long ago you looking for friends and Bam! You’ve done it! I lost my pug just over 4 years ago and even now thinking of my Wheezy brings tears to my eyes. I love her so much. Hugs
You went through so much trauma of the most personal kind and I am so very sorry. Glad that you have good friends and neighbors who could help you with the chimney fire (that damned creosote…that happened to us in our wood stove/metal chimney and SO GLAD it was put out before the roof was damaged). So many hugs to you thinking about dear Snoots and love the memorial.
absolutely gorgeous writing about such an unimaginable thing. you’re amazing ♥️
no freakin way. I just kept reading and thinking no freaking way!!! woa lady. sending you all heaps and heaps of love and warm thoughts.
OMGGGG what a cascade of ... events. Snoots was sure shaking things up. Hope the pipe-fixing and chimney repair go well. Grateful you are OK and the house is still standing!