The Mudcat situation seems quite small today as our family has just, by the grace of God, come through a little house fire from Tuesday afternoon. A wall-mounted gas heater had some tiny little fitting gave way and gouts of flame were blowing out the vent and rushing up from the heat outlets. We are in cleanup mode for the foreseeable future-- the brick main house is smoky but the fire itself was confined to a wood frame addition used for storage and laundry (total loss).

The fire was within 5 minutes of entering the main house, according to the volunteer firemen, and they were only able to contain it becuase the neighbor who saw it as it got underway threw buckets of creek water on the house and flagged down a passing gas company man to shut off the gas. We rent; the owner and we are both insured. No one was hurt. Pets OK. We were at a motel just one night and the landlord got essential utilities going the same night as the fire so the pipes would not freeeze and so we could have our home. And... our houseful of instruments, sound equipment, recorded music, and several hundred music books--- all untouched, all intact, all here to help us feel better as we clean up. In fact I played slide geetar hymns today in one low moment.

The Red Cross chapter I managed until November 1 helped us and we are asking that anyone wanting to help us please remember their local Red Cross this year. It is fire season.... and many suffer so much more than we. The next county over had a fire just last night with a fatality. We are so blessed, and so many are helping.... we're surrounded by loving neighbors to meet every need as it comes up, and I think the casseroles are about to start arriving. And we like the smell of a nice campfire... so we pretend we are on vacation, camping out in a nice warm house!

There is a lot more I would say but we only have the one phone line and I have to be quick and keep the line clear. The rest of the inbox is full of things to review and I am about to issue a group-message about the fire. Seamus, could you please be a dear and just copy and paste my remarks above on the fire at the Mudcat? From me and Hardiman the Fiddler?

Your CDs are wonderful to clean house by while keeping one's chin up, too. Oh and I got a new copy of the Donna Missigman CD, so you should be hearing her version of Bheir Me O and Red Red Rose before too long.... God willing and the creek don't rise!