Burglars, Fires, and Blessings

I had the worst night’s sleep possible (waking up every 40 minutes) the night prior so getting up to do Insanity with Ariel was like some kind of torture.  But I did it.  I then immediately crashed for a 30 minute nap.  After a shower, two cups of coffee, and a Bible study I finally felt like I could face the day. 

Some of you know I was hired as a write for Examiner.com last week…on probationary bases.  This means they have to review a couple articles I write before I can actually get paid and they keep me on as a writer.  This is great as it will hopefully turn into actual regular income and I get to write about something I love – literature.  But before you can write for them you have to take some courses with them so that everyone is on the same page (i.e. style, formatting, rules, etc.) 

In the process of taking these classes I get a call from my mother.  My mother leaves a messages asking if I am at home, so I text her back with an affirmative.  She must have an auto response on because she told me she was in a meeting, but one minute later she is calling.  Apparently the alarm on the main house went off and she needs me to go through the house and make sure nothing is amiss. 

First thing I do is grab the dog.  He is small but I know he will protect me.  So, I wonder through the house, all the while on the phone telling my mom which room I am in.  I know the cops are on their way but if I find someone first I want them to know exactly where to find me if something happens.  After the ten minute search, with nothing out of the ordinary, we call of the dogs and I head back to work. My dad apparently didn’t secure the door completely and the wind blew it open.  Yay for a bit of adventure!  I think I am done for the day, but I was wrong.

My sister takes me with her to a doctor’s apt in Roseville and picks me up.  As we head out of town we see this cop fly around the corner and flip a u going at least fifty miles per hour.  At first we think he is just trying to find a good spot to hide, but then we realize there is what we think is a burn pile going off.  Burn piles have to be reported before they happen in case there is a problem (after all we live in a hot oven).  As we turn the corner and drive a couple miles we see this is not a normal fire, there are high flames, so I call it in (I am that girl). 

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“I am reporting a fire on Garden Hwy just south of Wilson Road.  It may be on the levee, but it may also be in the orchards, it is hard to tell from here.  There is a cop who just pulled over; I just wanted to make sure everyone was communicating.”

“Where?” I repeat myself.

“Oh,…well, hold please.  I need to transfer you to the sheriff’s department.”  Just me, or is it a bit strange that I have now been on the phone for five minutes about a fire in an orchard and no one seems to think it is anything important enough to move on?  Maybe because I watched my house burn down when I was ten, but these are some slow moving people. 

I get transferred to the Sheriff’s department and have to repeat everything.  I have worked phones for many jobs, up to four lines at a time, when I transfer a call I tell you what it is about, especially if it is an emergency.  You would think the dispatch had thought about that, right?

“Oh really, how big is the fire?” What?!  How big?  It’s a fire in an orchard!!!! 

“Big enough I can see it from High way 99” (That’s a couple miles from Garden Highway). 

“Oh, well could it be the levee, I mean they do do controlled burns out there.” Of this I am aware; but really, do you want to take that kind of chance?  It’s Yuba City, nothing is happening, check it out people and do your job!

“Ok, I will send someone to take a look.”  You bet you will!  Fires spread quickly, not to mention ones surrounded by orchards!  Why do you think that copy turned so quickly?

So, assured by our great sheriff’s department that the fire will be taken care of, we head to Roseville for a pretty useless doctor’s visit.  But we grab some grub at La Bou (great food) and then ran to a book store.  I came home and worked on my first article for Examiner.com (now, you all need to start following me there too so that I can get paid…the more hits the better my world can be!)

I got to talk with Robert via Skype (praise God for that piece of technology!!)  We talked about our day, laughed at each other, and enjoyed a nice banter.  We talked about me driving his car out to him and I fully considered it for an hour.  Then practical Andria kicked in.  Aside from the gas, the car would need to be serviced in Mississippi and again when it got back home because of the miles put on it.  Then he will be taking it again across country for his change of base to Maryland.  So we nixed the idea (bummer, but only a few more months to have to deal with this long distance thing). 

I then began to work on the prep for my next article (a book review…so I will get paid to read the book and write about it!)  How did I not know about this job sooner?  I can’t stay sitting still very long, so I take the book with me on a two mile walk through the orchards.  It was a great way to end the day. Talking to Robert, reading a great book by one of my favorite authors, and enjoying a sunset in the orchards…truly I am blessed.  Truly.