In case of fire.........

    I can't imagine fire this destructive. This is a photo I saw on msnbc......you can see more here. The photos are of the wildfires plaguing drought and heat weary Texas.

Then there's the news about all the flooding from storms Irene and Lee. If only there were a way to get the extra water in some spots to the places who need it so badly!

Thinking about fires and floods usually brings up this question - if you had only a few minutes to get out of your house, what would you grab on your way out?

A jewelry store owner told me that the building next to hers caught on fire years ago. The firemen called her, and told her she could get in her store for a few minutes and get out what she needed to. She said she ran inside, looked around, and thought, "what do I take...because when it comes right down to it, it's all just junk". All that expensive jewelry, and she summed it up as just junk when an emergency arose.

She was probably right. If my store building burned, the only thing I would really want to get out would be the paperwork, just because it would be difficult to file our income taxes if that was all lost.

But, at home, it's different....it's more personal........

Of course, we all would get the people out first, and our pets, but then what? For me, the next thing would probably be pictures, though they are scattered all over the house, which probably isn't a good idea now that I think about it.

I'd also want to save the artwork and stories that Jessica and Kevin created when they were little. I actually have some of those things stored in a fireproof safe box. If a robber broke in and stole that box, they would be very dissappointed! No gold or silver, just memories of distant youth.

There are certain "family heirlooms" I'd want to save if I could. Things that used to belong to our parents or even grandparents. Things our mama's made that mean so much to us.

Maybe it would be our computer we would want to grab, especially if it's full of family photos. Maybe a collection we have worked years to build. Or cookbooks, especially the ones full of family recipes.

I hope we never have to face a crisis such as this, and I hope none of you do either!