THANK YOU FIREFIGHTERS AND EVERYONE WHO HAS WORKED ON THE ANGORA FIRE

The Angora fire is now at 70% containment. Fire crews are working round the clock along with so many more people to help us all. The number of people who have appeared here as if by magic to ease the burden of those who have lost so much is amazing to me. My family has been lucky. We are out of harms way. We prepared to evacuate twice, but it wasn't necessary. I can't believe how emotional this is. Our community isn't tiny, but it isn't huge either. It's the kind of place where you can't go to the grocery store without seeing someone you know. There aren't any quick errands because there is bound to be someone I run into that I want to talk to. Some days I want to pull a hat over my face because I don't feel like talking, but mostly I love it. The checkers at the grocery stores have watched our daughter grow up. When our UPS driver changes we always wonder why. Today I found out our UPS driver's house burned down. Eight people who work at the grocery store down the street lost their homes. Somewhere around 200 homes have been lost. That's a lot - especially for our town. But it could have been so much worse without the help that we have received. A lot of the firefighters out there were not a part of our community before the fire. As far as I'm concerned they are a part of our community now. I wish I could thank every single person one by one. Instead I'm starting here. Thank you everyone who has worked so hard in protecting our community and who is helping to rebuild it. You will always be remembered!