Happy New Year and Where's the Fire?

Oh, yeah, it was at MY place.

I worked a short week last week...Monday, Tuesday and part of Wednesday. We got an email early Wednesday afternoon that we could go home. Yeah! So, I did. When I got home, Hubby and I did a little running around, but decided NOT to go out to eat for New Year's Eve. We decided to pick up something and just head home.

My throat had started to feel a bit scratchy on Tuesday and people in my office were coming to work sick, so I had started popping vitamin C and Airborne to stave anything off. But it did not work. New Year's Eve I could not stay awake, so went to bed around 10. So much for welcoming the New Year.

The next day I was up early and spent the day relaxing and reading. Hubby spent some time napping as he HAD stayed up late the night before. LOL!

Around 4:30, Hubby started our New Year's dinner and had blackeyed peas, a pot of beans and spinach on the stove, and cornbread in the oven. A little before 5, there was a knock on the door and a guy asked me if I knew the chimney was on fire! WHAT! If I knew that, would I be sitting in my apartment??? I went outside...not dressed for outside...and looked and sure enough there was a little flame at the very top of the chimney. I said I was going to run in and call the fire department and get dressed. The guy said he was calling them right them.

So I ran in, got dressed and told Hubby to get dressed. He wanted to know why and I told him. I guess the fact that I was calm made it seem like it was not so serious. LOL! You would think the word fire would make someone hurry, but not Hubby. I finally got him outside, turned off the stove and headed out myself.

The fire department got there quickly and were up on the roof in no time, hosing down the fire and tearing out the chimney. It really was a little fire right at the top, but they took no chances. There were fire fighters and policemen everywhere and the fire marshall finally left a little before 9. THEN we got to eat our black-eyed peas.

 Here is what it looked like the next day. The bottom "hole" is the outside our our fireplace.

There was no smoke or fire damage to our apartment, thank goodness, though a lot of water flooded in and soaked some of our carpet. But maintenance was in the next day, tearing out padding and sucking out water. and leaving an industrial fan in our living room to blow on it all weekend. That sucker is LOUD and I will be glad when it is gone. Hopefully today. Oh, and we are grateful for the minimal damage. In the top photo, you might notice that our neighbor's door is white. That is because it is a temporary door to replace the one the fire fighter battered down. The neighbors were not home but the fire fighters had to be sure.

I ended up being too sick to go to work on Friday, which was good as I had to move some stuff when the carpet guy came. Hubby could have done it, but I also had to dismantle our computer as some water was in the bedroom under the computer desk, too. Hubby would not have wanted to do that.

Saturday and Sunday were much easier days, except that the fan was really loud.

Here is a pic of Hubby standing around yesterday. He's got legs!

He starts physical therapy today and I am at work doped up on cold medicine.

Happy New Year!