This message was supposed to arrive via snail mail at Christmas as our annual update. It's now May! Yikes! The letters were sealed and stamped but recreating our mailing list after a computer virus took some time. Winter got busy. Dave and Molly were busy with lots of school and squash, Lyle was busy with lots of travel basketball and a trip to Florida with me (Hope) and her uncle and cousin. I was making trips to New Jersey (Morristown-Beard School) and Connecticut (The Gunnery) doing Head of School search work. The Xmas card was looking like more of a spring blessing as March was 'round the bend.
On March 2, life as we knew it came to a temporary standstill as we witnessed the 30 Joy Lane home go up in more smoke than flames, but a substantial amount of both. Noone was home or hurt - it happened during the daytime - it was a sunny, cold, breezy day. It was Groton School's house (we just happened to be living in it for 10 years) so they have been responsible for its rebuild. To say we lost everything is overly dramatic as that would include losing our perspective and friends as well, among other things. No denying it - we lost a lot of stuff - but perspective and friends remain in tact!
Here's what WAS saved: people, mayzie, a piano, computer, fridge, washer/dryer and by some unknown higher power, the girls baby photos which were in the attic where EVERYTHING else burned, except somehow these two boxes of baby photos (pre-digital era) survived. Does anything else really matter? Dubious. Though having some furniture someday would be nice!
Here's what WAS saved: people, mayzie, a piano, computer, fridge, washer/dryer and by some unknown higher power, the girls baby photos which were in the attic where EVERYTHING else burned, except somehow these two boxes of baby photos (pre-digital era) survived. Does anything else really matter? Dubious. Though having some furniture someday would be nice!
The likely cause was an electrical fire in the wall of the second floor. Not at an outlet and nothing was even plugged in nearby. The house was a 1960 prefab and the old wiring was well, old. Perhaps a staple worked its way thru the wire's insulation. (I still think it was an anemic mouse looking to add some iron and fiber to her diet while flossing her teeth, but I digress.)
Is there a prevention message here? Check that your homeowners/renters policies ensure adequate coverage and digitally photograph EVERYTHING. We had renters, (more for theft than fire/smoke/water damage) but it was enough to cover a fraction of our belongings. Lesson learned. We never imagined what it would cost to replace EVERYTHING. Now we know - and Dave is happy that we wont be replacing everything as he thinks we had too much anyway! He might be right!
Nothing to prevent a fire like this that we hadn't already done, but having our stuff pre-photographed would have saved a few insurance steps. Our smoke detectors were up to date and when the firefighters arrived, the detectors were screaming and had been for hours. I wasn't home that day. Groton School employees drove by and happened to notice smoke billowing from the attic vents. They called 911 and within 5 mins, 5 towns of fire depts were on site, ladders, hoses, the whole 9 yards...Mayzie grew spots - hoping to be a dalmation just for a day!
What is very exciting about the rebuild is that Groton School has taken huge intitiatives to rebuild the home completely "green". It is what's called a deep energy retrofit and will have state of the art insulation, ventilation, etc...We are watching the rebuild closely as the school moved us to a house across the street. Predictions of our return range from July-Aug. Our mailing address remains the same as the mailbox didnt go up in smoke!
As for our stuff, we managed to fill in the sink holes pretty fast. Kids were clothed by Groton, Nashoba Brooks and Maple Street friends and showered with gift cards and the like. The generosity of our friends has been absolutely stunning. Thank you, all!
I can't remember much of March, honestly. Been dealing with insurance claims and replacement items and furnishing a temporary home. April has flown by, too. But, I do remember that I made it to the semi-finals of the Womens US Squash Championships before blowing out my knee and forcing me to withdraw from a handful of squash events for the forseeable future. UGH! (knee has been slow to recover but I am choosing to delay a surgery). I have also recently enjoyed doing a TV shoot for a local cable channel (hosted by Beth Frates, MD - Harvard roomate) about lifestyle choices and wellness medicine. In short, eliminate sugar, eat gluten free, be grateful and laugh a lot! I also had a brief stint as a cheesemaker - making homemade mozzarella!
Dave is up to his ears in the exciting STEM initiative offered by Groton School and will be co-teaching the first class next year. Dave is coaching tennis and catching a few bike rides in his limited spare time.
As for the housefire, it has been a huge functional hassle but Groton School has been great to us, and we have reflected (I have at least - Dave needed no further reflection!) that we had too much stuff anyway! We're much better off than those as far away from us as Japan or even some near us in Groton. We have much to be grateful for.
I promise to get our 2011 Xmas card out on time - likely entitled, "We'll be home for Christmas..." In the meantime, we send our love and best wishes! - Hope
