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"Fire" continued from page 9 Almost every inch of the landscaping that my husband and I (okay, mostly Randy) had bought, planted, and enjoyed was destroyed. As the firefighters began to leave, we thanked them again. They assured us that they would be in the neighborhood for the next few days and if we needed anything to call on them. True heroes. Randy and I continued to survey the damage. The ginkgo tree that Randy planted the day we moved in was burned to a crisp. The Japanese maple tree that his mom bought for us was gone. The deck that our whole family helped to build was ruined. Randy went to pick up the dogs as I took call after call from dear friends and family asking if we were all right and offering their help. We realized that we are blessed beyond words. Over the next week, while firefighters remained on the hillside and in our backyard dousing the area with water and foam, we got down to business. I called the insurance company while Randy took pictures. Within hours, the insurance company had called Padgett's Cleaning and Restoration. A fire inspector took pictures of the damage. Tim Padgett checked out the damage. He was thorough and kind, pointing out things that we hadn't even noticed. He checked details that hadn't occurred to us. Padgett's landscaper came out and noted what needed to be replaced. An independent adjuster arrived and Tim reviewed everything with him. They agreed upon what needed to be done to get us back to "normal." That was a word I hadn't thought of for a while. I wondered when all of this would feel normal again. Later, the same fire inspector came over to ask us more questions since they had caught the suspected arsonist. The fire was now considered a crime scene. Talking to this very calm, kind man was very easy, until I saw his gun. This is a crime, so he was carrying a gun. It was surreal. A cleaning crew descended on our house early on Wednesday morning. They were amazing. They used a special solution to wipe down the walls to remove any soot, cleaning every knickknack, book, and painting meticulously. A linen professionally cleaned our draperies, rugs, and linens. Thursday was Independence Day. We had a small barbecue at our house and welcomed the fact that the rest of the day was for just being "us." The cleaning crew returned on Friday to complete the rest of the house. Another crew pressure-washed the exterior of the house and the roof. A window company cleaned ash and water off the windows. The patio cover was disassembled and 14 OUR YUCAIPA | AUGUST 2013 taken away. We have now begun the task of replacing all the landscaping. Randy and I have been talking a lot about this experience. We have more gratitude for our firefighters and police officers than we could ever express. We are grateful for an insurance company who really does care about our well-being and getting us back to normal. We have incredible friends and family who are there for us, as we hope they know we are for them. We have learned a lot, too. We've learned that we do have a lot of patience. We are stronger than we think we are. And, most importantly, we continue to learn that no matter how hard we try, we are not in control. Michele and Randy Peters look over the hill where the wall of flame and 1,000 degree heat scorched nearly everything in their back yard. Behind them, in the charred garden, statues of angels remain, seemingly unscathed.

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