[Oxford63] Nancy Luke

Fri Nov 10 06:06:21 MST 2017

Nancy - the fires seemed so wild and so remote from us on the news - like
most of the world's battle zones. But once I heard your voice, you took me
right there, allowing me to feel and see the trauma and loss. In a matter
of minutes you and George became displaced survivors of a disaster. I am
grateful for your message that has grounded me or at least brought me
closer to that reality -- I am overwhelmed by the magnitude of your loss.
May your relocation help you both weather the red tape and the waves of
grief. And may you and George be healed by restorative practices and time.
Sandy

On Wed, Nov 8, 2017 at 12:37 PM, <oxford63 at mailman.cyber-community.com>
wrote:

> Hi, everyone,
>
> Time to check in.
>
> First, thank you Jane for getting in touch with Primo and bringing him
> into our loop.  I've been in touch with him by email.  He writes about
> Courtney with a heavy heart, tremendous devotion, and a faith that I hope
> will see him through.  I've been shedding a lot of tears lately; Primo and
> Courtney are up there among the reasons why.  And then there is Nan Fry.
>
> Update on my status:
> George and I have closed on a house in town, on the golf course to which
> we belong.  We can move in November 13th.  Right now we have little to
> move.  I remind myself that when we first were married all we needed was a
> bed, and we made good use of it.  Now we need one just as much - for
> sleeping.  Some other items will come in handy as well.  Bottom line, we
> need to get a few furnishings before we move in, but this is no big deal.
>
> We are currently staying in a different house (not the one we have
> bought).  The owners are in Arizona for the winter, so we can stay here
> until we get settled in our house.  We prefer to be in our house sooner
> than later, however.
>
> Since the fire, I've learned a lot about insurance coverage.  Our company,
> State Farm, provides different adjusters for automobiles, dwelling, and
> contents.  We've settled the 2 cars, hope to have the dwelling settled soon
> (who knows what that means?) and have yet to make a dent in the arduous
> task of itemizing the contents of the house.  The way I understand it is
> that we will receive the depreciated value (based on current replacement
> cost) of the items lost in the fire (everything).  There is a 2-year
> timeframe in which one must replace the items. When we replace an item, we
> will receive the difference between the depreciated value and the
> replacement cost.  What a nightmare for all concerned.  There were at least
> 5000 mostly high-end homes destroyed in this fire in Sonoma County.  There
> is no way they can all be rebuilt and refurnished within 2 years.  The
> insurance companies are going to have to extend that 2-year limit.
>
> My days vary.  Some days I seem to be ok.  Some days I begin to shake with
> anxiety when I awake.  Some nights I sleep; others not so much.  We
> survivors often feel as if we've lost our minds.  I'm not sure I truly
> comprehend what has happened.  I cannot take it in.  The enormity of the
> destruction is just overwhelming.  That word is apt.  I cannot bear to
> drive by residential neighborhoods that were formerly green and tree-filled
> and full of life and now are just gray and black and skeletal.  As one
> says, it's like a war-zone, as if a bomb went off.
>
> I've tried to sift through the ashes in a part of the house where I had
> some jewelry.  I give up after two minutes.  Our house is just a pile of
> ashes with assorted metal hulks of appliances, furnace, automobiles.  Our
> piano is a set of metal strings.  Our china and crystal is welded into ugly
> globs of broken bits glued with molten glass, charcoaled wood, and ash.
> Our wooded property is brown and black.  I'm hoping some of the old oak
> trees survive.  OK, this is making me cry.
> You get the picture.  Yesterday as I drove by one horribly ruined area of
> town I cursed and screamed in my car, yelling at the top of my lungs to
> whomever.  I want to kill whoever let this happen, but of course there is
> no one to blame.  It was an act of nature (although some are suing the
> electric company).  A similar fire burned the same area in 1964 - I had
> seen burnt fence posts along my property line.  The difference is that then
> there were no houses in the way.
>
> Enough.  I've sounded off here.  I am sad and angry, but not all the
> time.  When I get down I realize I must put on my armor and fight.  I'm not
> re-reading this because I am on my way out the door, so apologies to Miss
> Jarrell(?)
>
> Again, thank you for all your support.  I love you all.
>
> Nancy
>
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