Fire!

This is Tina and Anne's house.

This is my friend, Anne Owen, and her friend, Cain.

Anne, like me, is disabled. Until mid-August, Anne and I planned to become apartment mates, combining our Social Security checks to improve both of our lives. She and Cain actually moved into my apartment in early August and she was going to help pay my rent in September after she was freedom from her apartment lease.


Although its unimportant to this story, if you follow me on Facebook, you know that Cain and Alex didn't quite hit it off as buddies.

Alex tells his side of the story in an Alexicon blog post entitled Cain and Me.

This is Anne's sister, Tina Owen.

In mid-August, Tina's live-in boyfriend returned to Iowa from whence he came, living Tina with insufficient income to pay her rent. Anne and I discussed the situation; we agreed that it is logical that she share the house that Tina is renting.  Anne packed up the items she had moved into my apartment and, with Cain, moved into Tina's house.


On August 26th, I drove Anne and Tina to Anne's apartment and filled my CR-V to the brim with Anne's belongings. After unloading it, Anne and I returned to my apartment, planning to carry a final load of less important things to the house the following day,


Following Steinbeck, out plans were disrupted by the electricity at the house being shut off by the utility company. New plans: Anne would remain at my apartment until Monday morning when she could return her apartment keys to her landlord and she and Tiny could begin contacting resources to aid in paying the utility bill.


Early Monday morning, Tina contacted Anne with the horrendous new that the house was ablaze. As Tina later wrote on Facebook:

...my sister ANNE been very kind and understanding that her dense ass sis left a candle burinin and most of her shit is gone too* but damn who don't leave candles burnin sometimes!!! 

The fire is a tragedy. Tina lost all of her possessions, including her school books--university classes have already begun. Anne  lost just about everything of value, including the lyrics of song she has written over many years.

I am grateful that neither Tina or Anne were in the house when the fire began. Also that neighbors rescued Tina's two dogs. However, I mourn the loss in the conflagration of their cats. Three kittens of Tina's cat, Snow, we discovered dead in a closet. Anne discovered the body of one of the older cats; it was burned too badly to determine if it was Snow or Cain.

Whichever, I pray for those who have crossed The Rainbow Bridge and for the one who hopefully escaped.