Well today is four weeks from my fire. First off I wanted to say thank you to those of you who extended to me your "well-wishes". You know who you are, and so THANK YOU...TO EACH OF YOU. Your emails and phone calls meant a lot to me.
Since the fire, the general theme of questions I've been asked have remained fairly consistent, as it relates to what animals I lost, the cause of my fire, insurance issues, rebuilding, etc. I'll do my best to provide a reader's digest version in my coming posts.
But first, I must say that even after four weeks, it has only SLIGHTLY gotten easier to deal with. It really took the wind out of my sail. It doesn't help pulling into my driveway every day and seeing the burned pile of debris in front of my house either. And that's not even to mention when I walk into my garage. Forensic fire investigators, high-dollar electical engineers, product investigators and insurance adjusters have been in and out for the past 4 weeks doing there thing. I'm on a first name basis with most of them by now. I've burned close to 60 hours of vacation time also, in an effort to accommodate them and be there at home to answer their countless questions...and such. lol.
Because it's an ongoing investigation...and a pissing match between the property owner's insurance, my insurance, and a product (of interest) manufacturer's insurance, I've haven't been able to even begin cleaning up...or rebuilding. It's become a catch 22. The insurance companies are all trying to find blame in "some one else", for subrogation. I have at least been completely cleared of any negligence - intentional or UNintentional. This of course is a relief. Now it's just a waiting game for me to let the overpaid "suits" do what it is they do. Consequently, my garage is still a wreck. And yeah, still some burned up, dead snakes entombed in the mass of melted plastic tubs. This is the hardest part for me to deal with. I hate having to go out there when these guys are here working on there end of things. It's a constant reminder. I find myself thinking back to just less then a month ago, when my shop was so full of life, and bustling with activity.
This HAS been the toughest time of my life. And I AM utterly devastated by my loss of my animals. I can remember EACH one of them individually, and it seems like yesterday still, that they were all full of life, and eagerly awaiting my entrance into the shop. I swear, they would "come alive" every time I came in to the room. Certainly it was only that they were conditioned, and associated me with "feeding time", and it was nothing more than a feeding response. But for me, it was fun to see, and served as a constant reminder of their complete and absolute dependence on me; their keeper. Their caretaker. God, I miss them so much man. My shop is now a burned out hull, of what it once was. Total destruction. Total devastation. An utter loss of all life. I don't want to think about it, or dwell on it. I suppose it's a balancing act. A healthy grieving period, coupled with positive thinking and optimism, and focus on the future. And a valuable lesson learned. As tragic and devastating as this has been...and still is, I cannot waste an opportunity to learn a lesson. My lesson so far, first and foremost, is to count my blessings. Be thankful for what was NOT lost, and what I STILL have..
I'm not quite sure what happens next for me. I can tell you I have no interest in rapidly and immediately replacing my animals. I'm gonna take it slow. If went out and replaced everything today, and rebuilt my garage, I would NOT feel better. Of course there are specific snakes I lost (basically all of them - lol) that I hope to replace, but I'm going to take my time. This is my only way. I will know when I'm ready. I will keep my eyes open, and I'll know when it feels right, and then I'll continue to take it step by step, day by day.
Anyway, sorry for the run-on post.
I thought about posting pics of the fire, and all its carnage...but decided not to. Screw that. I'd rather post pics of my snakes when they were alive and well. Here's a few that I lost.
My Snakes.
R.I.P.
