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05:03:2004 Entry: "Ann : House Gone"

House Gone

Boom. Crash. Shatter Shutter Tremble Tremor.

First you are awake. The first thing you think: the awning over the non-functional second story door somehow fell off its hinges and landed on the basement bulkhead below. The second thing you think: something is wrong...our roof is damaged. A large limb from a neighbor's oak tree fell on our roof. A piece of debris from a passing plane fell onto our roof and now we have a hole in our house. Stan asks, 'Did that sound like the back door slam shut?' 'No,' I say, 'it sounded like something fell on the house!' It is 3:59 AM. We are the latest victims of Al-Quaida (sp?), right here on Madison's east isthmus. Someone's meth lab blew up. No, it was just a limb falling onto the roof. A really, large limb. A tree fell on the house. Stan gets up and goes outside with nothing on except his shorts and probably some shoes. He couldn't find anything. I pull on some pants and go upstairs, fearing there's a large piece of airplane debris that had fallen through the attic, fearing a crumbling mess on our second story. I had just installed a printer set-up for my computer, and now, all that work, ruined by some stupid tree limb. Or airplane debris. Or bomb.

Everything looked normal. Stan came back inside. He couldn't see anything abnormal outside. I told him I wanted to go outside with him and look around. I put on a coat. He took a flashlight to shine on the house and roof. We heard sirens. We heard people talking on the street. This was 4 AM on a Tuesday. People aren't usually out on the street at that time on a weekday. I walk toward the front of the house to see where the people are, and as I turn back to go in the backyard, I see it. It's off in the distance, smoke rising off in the northeast.

We walk down the block, and we see flames. As we get closer, I start to cry. A house about a block and a half from where we live was completely gone. Levelled. A house next to it was on fire. It was so, so, sad. A house blew up. A nice old house, maybe a little younger than our old house, and probably a lot nicer. Gone. The explosion was so strong, it took out several windows in surrounding houses. Houses in a half block radius were evacuated and gas has been cut off in that immediate neighborhood. They think it was a natural gas explosion. But they don't know yet.

It was so sad.

And I wonder about this dream.

6 Comments

I just read on madison.com that they discovered a body in the basement of the house that blew up. This is just so sad.

Posted by Ann @ 04:13:2004:07:41 AM CST

So... maybe it has something to do with the road work and abandoned pipes under the street? Perhaps some methane came up through the sewer and the man went into the basement to see what was so stinkey - when the furnace kicked on? It's a terrable and sad loss.

Posted by Stan @ 04:13:2004:06:13 PM CST

:( ..but I'm glad it wasn't your house.

Posted by Nico @ 04:16:2004:04:09 AM CST

Thanks, Nico. Hey, I got your post back...my website seems to be working a little bit more normally, let's hope.

You know, I'd rather it have been my house that just got levelled and that Stan and I had died together in the blaze rather than have our house simply destroyed and we'd have to sort together the pieces of our shattered life amidst the wreckage.

There are about 5 houses (I don't know if that counts the one that blew up) that will probably have to be torn down now. If one of those had been my house, I'd just be so devastated, I wouldn't be able to function. According to the Red Cross, no one has had to make use of their temporary shelter in the nearby high school...all those people had family or friends they could stay with. We wouldn't have been as lucky. We would be without support. And everything I have for my business is in my house...it would be all gone.

I feel very lucky we weren't closer to the blast. What's that saying...there but for the grace of God... (not to be religious-sounding or anything)

What I'm dreading now is seeing all the developers coming in to develop the properties. These used to be single family homes and some two-flats or old houses converted into apartments. But I fear what the developers have in mind for the area. Horrors. Lets just hope they keep it to single family homes or two-flats like the rest of the neighborhood.

Posted by Ann @ 04:16:2004:09:54 AM CST

I personally think it would be better if you lost the house and everything in it and you and Stan (and the pets) survived. The house and things are just material replaceable stuff (all though your art is of course unique pieces), but there's just one [or two ( depends how one looks at it)] Ann & Stan. But heym that's just me thinking you two are worth more than a piece of furniture ;)

Posted by Nico @ 04:17:2004:04:25 AM CST

If Stan and I and the pets survived and nothing else, our life would be hell. We'd have no place to stay...we'd have to keep the dogs and cats and newts and frogs in the car all day because I don't think Red Cross takes animals in their shelters, we might have to put them in the pound, as horrible as that sounds, so yes, I'd rather be dead than have to do that to my pets. I wouldn't care about furniture or appliances or stuff like that, yes, that is all replaceable and not worth it, BUT it's more complicated than that. A computer is only worth its sellable value, but when it's your livelihood and it houses all the stuff you've been working on, your source of survival, it's irreplaceable....not the computer per se, but the FILES on it. My art is irreplaceable. Small things that have not much monetary value, are irreplaceable, like pieces of jewelry, rocks, trinkets that really mean things only to those who posses them and no one else...irreplaceable. When people lose their possessions in a fire or flood, they mostly bemoan the loss of things like family photographs. I don't have many of those, but it's stuff like that, that have meaning to you. Not to mention I really LOVE my house...we spent so much time making it what it is. There'd never be another one like it. And my plants, my poor plants. Some of those are irreplaceable, as I've never found anything like them since I've acquired them. I'm not materialistic because I find comfort in having lots of nice things in the way so many people are, but I am materialistic because I find pleasure in the *small* things that are non-living that have meaning to me.

Posted by Ann @ 04:17:2004:08:40 AM CST

By Ann @ 10:58 AM CST:05:03:04 ..::Link::..