THE VILLAGE TIMES

   On Saturday, November 6, 1972, Tim, my oldest son, was in the second grade, and Tony and Doug hadn’t started school. I had given the younger boys their baths, and they were all three watching TV in our newly finished basement.  I was making a pot of chili for dinner. David was in our bedroom taking a nap. After dinner we were planning to go to my mom and Dad’s that evening for a little party for my dad’s birthday, which was the next day. The boys were in their underwear simply because, if you know little boys, you know I was trying to keep them clean until we at least got in the car.

   Outside it was freezing cold and a light snow had covered the ground and was continuing to remind us that winter was on its way. The first snow was always beautiful and formed a lovely scene.

   As I stood by the stove, stirring the chili, our alarm system suddenly went off. I immediately ran to the basement door and the boys were coming up the stairs. Tony and Doug and our Pekingese, Perky, were behind Tim.  David had heard the alarm and passed me at the top of the stairs and was screaming “Fire, Fire!” I ran to the kitchen phone on the wall to call the Fire Department. David rushed the boys out the door. The scene was so hectic, I cannot be really sure who was doing what. I do remember turning the chili off and putting the lid on it. One of our neighbors’ friends, Murph was coming in the door as the boys were going out. By this point, a crowd of neighbors were gathering and the Pleasure Ridge Fire Department had arrived.  

   Suddenly we realized that Tony, our middle son was not outside with everyone else. David and Murph ran back into the house to find Tony. As David and Murph frantically searched for the small child in the smoke-filled house, someone, I believe it was Tim, spotted Tony standing behind the drapes watching the snow. We had shrubs in front of our home, and the four-year-old was hidden from view of those of us who were outside. He was unaware of all the commotion going on around him!  David quickly scooped him up and he and Murph safely escaped with our baby. Yes, our baby. They all were my babies then, and now.

   The smoke alarms were still blaring as firemen fought the blaze from outside. They were concerned about going inside because they thought the noise from the smoke alarms was possibly something in the basement getting ready to explode.  No family in the neighborhood had smoke alarms like ours.

   Our home alarm system was a purchase we had made with a lot of disagreement between the two of us. I complained we couldn’t afford it, and David was adamant that we might need it someday. Well, we did, and believe it or not, I gratefully conceded he was right afterwards.

   The arson investigator determined that the fire was caused by our gas furnace. In some way when the fan cane on , a small flame had shot out and caused something very small to catch fire . From there an above ground swimming pool liner caught fire which caused a tremendous amount of smoke damage. We had brought it inside just a couple of weeks before. Additionally, that summer, we had completely remodeled our basement. As we stood outside in the snow, our home was literally going up in flames. We were numbed by the horror of the loss, but so grateful that none of us were injured. There was one actual casualty, the boys Guinea Pig named Oogie Pickwick. Oogie would be remembered by two or three Oogie’s who came after him. Alex, my granddaughter told me that she believes she had Oogie the third or fourth.

   While our children went into the warmth of our neighbor’s home, Charlotte and Ramon, a couple of the firemen escorted David and me through what was left of our house and possessions. Our “home” was next door staying warm with our neighbors.

   The smell of fire damage is something you never forget. To be honest, that smell stays behind long after the fire is out. Our newly finished basement, and nearly everything in it was destroyed with the exception of the large freezer mom and dad had given us.  Mom and Dad had given it to me when it became too large for them. About ten to twelve years later, I gave it to my sister, Rudy, when I moved from our home. Prudy used the freezer for several years after the fire. A few years ago she sold it to someone who lived close by. It still worked perfectly. It was made by International Harvester Company, now known as Navistar. IH was best known at the time for Farm Equipment and big Trucks. 

   There was a lot of damage to the main floor also. The primary fire had been directly below the bathroom and kitchen. The floor below the tub was almost gone, and the tub had nearly fallen into the basement. The kitchen floor had buckled and the appliances had minor damage to their paint and the insulation on the refrigerator door had partially melted. All the windows and curtains had smoke damage. You could barely see out the window. Tim occupied the bedroom next to the bathroom, and just the thought of what could have happened had the fire been at night while we were sleeping still brings tears to my eyes.

   The other bedrooms and living room had major smoke damage. We would find possessions missing for months and years to come. Most of our boys’ baby pictures were destroyed.

   After the firemen had gone, and we had gathered our children into the car, we sat there in silence. The realization of no longer having a house, with only the clothes on our backs, the hard truth hit us. We were homeless.

   David looked at me and said, “Where are we going?” I was silent a minute or two and told him I would be right back. I went back into Charlotte’s house.  She was sitting on the couch. Her tears were for us. I asked to use the phone to call my mom and dad. The commotion I heard on the phone told me everyone was there, except for us. Mom answered. “Are you all coming?” I explained what had happened. She told me to come there and they would help us decide what to do. She said that for that night, we were staying there and would figure things out. I thanked Charlotte and we hugged. Raymond hugged me and said he would keep an eye on the house. I went back to our car and got in and said, “For now, we are going to Daddy’s birthday party. After that, I don’t know.” He put the car in reverse, and we left. The next forty-five minutes, the amount of time it took to get to mom and dad’s, were the quietest forty-five minutes we ever spent as a family.

   When we walked in we were greeted with a tremendous shower of love and true concern. My brother Sonny and his wife Mary came in shortly after we got there. They had already gone shopping and gotten at least one or two changes of clothes for each of us, as well as any personal items we might need right away……tooth paste and brushes, hair brushes, deodorant, shampoo, cigarettes for David, anything and everything we needed that night. I hadn’t thought of any of that, and neither had David. Could Sonny and Mary afford to do that at that time? Probably not! But that’s who they were.

   We put our problems behind us that night. We ate and talked and laughed and sang Happy Birthday to dad as if we had not a care in the world. It was Saturday and there were no plans to make until Monday morning when I could start making calls. Everyone was getting tired, and preparing to go home, I told mom that David and I had nothing to sleep in but our clothes. David always slept in his boxer shorts. He was extremely modest around my mom. So mom disappeared a couple minutes, and came back with two long flannel nightgowns over her arm. She handed one to me and one to David. Since David had been imbibing quite a bit, he put his on and paraded through the house entertaining everyone. He slept in it too!

   The next day, for the first time in many years, I woke up to Daddy’s gospel music. I just listened for a few minutes, remembering. Then reality struck and I was overwhelmed and tired before my feet touched the floor. I had to sit down and start making a list of everything we had to do the next morning. Call Tim’s school and let them know he would be absent a couple days. Call our Insurance Company and file a claim. Make another list of everything they would need from us, one of which was a list of the items that were destroyed or damaged. Make an appointment for later in the afternoon to meet with the adjuster. Call David’s work and then mine. Figure out where we were going to live until the house was once again inhabitable. Everything I did that day was documented. Keep in mind that there was no such thing as a computer or cellphones to take pictures or organize notes or lists. No way to make recordings. If there were, they hadn’t become available for the ordinary population.

   With the short list complete, David and I headed to meet the adjuster, leaving the boys behind with mom. There was a deafening silence as we drove to what had been our home. The adjuster had just arrived. We went inside and the smell of fire, melted rubber and destroyed dreams engulfed our senses. First, we went to the basement. Very little was left, except for that old freezer. Of course everything in it would be destroyed. The electricity and water had been shut off. The adjuster suggested we not try to empty the freezer until it was deemed to be safe to go to that side of the basement. The adjuster took notes and pictures ani I took notes and David took pictures. Since I dealt with property claims every day, I knew pretty much what was needed. However, before that moment, as I stood in what was my kitchen, I hadn’t understood what was necessary for our customers to do before they could get their homes back. Mental note to myself to be just a little kinder and understanding of people who had no idea of what was necessary to get their lives back.

   Within a week we had settled into a furnished apartment. Meanwhile, work had already started on the house. One of the most unsettling things for me was pulling into our driveway and seeing a full-sized dumpster sitting there. It was nearly full, and I had no idea what had been thrown away. Choking back tears, I walked in and started looking through the kitchen for cooking utensils, plus plates and dinnerware to take to our temporary home. the night before, we had eaten at a Taco Bell and picked up milk and cereal for the next day. The apartment we had rented was within walking distance of a couple fast food restaurants and a bus line. David and I had to go back to work, Tim had to go back to school, and Tony and Doug would be going to daycare. We had a most “disruptive routine” for the next few weeks.

   One evening after we had supper, three little boys stood in front of David and me. They were freshly bathed and were wearing new pajamas. The youngest, Doug, was often the spokesman for Tony, as was Tim. Tony rarely had a lot to say, and still doesn’t. He was and is a listener. Tim started out, “Tony and Doug want to know if Santa Claus is going to be able to find us here.” I was stunned. I hadn’t even thought about Christmas. I glanced at David, and by the expression on his face, neither had he. Of course we had both seen ads on TV and decorations everywhere. I suppose we were both so consumed by our situation we hadn’t even had time to discuss Christmas. That was one thing we had always done together. We decided what to get the boys together. I wasn’t sure if Tim was still a believer, so I carefully responded. “Well, I’ve heard that Santa Claus knows everything about all the children and where they are.”  Tim asked, “What if he didn’t hear about the fire?”  There were two pairs of big brown eyes, and one pair of blue eyes awaiting my response. So was I. 

   I took a deep breath, breathed out, and began. “Well, it’s time to go to bed tonight.” Six little shoulders dropped. before I could say another word, Tim said, “We could write him a letter!” We had written to Santa before, sending wish lists, so mentally I thought about giving Tim an extra hug for saving me. “That’s a good idea! Tomorrow night when we get home, after supper we will write letters to Santa.” Satisfaction! The next night we wrote letters and David went outside to put them in the mail box.

   Several days went by and I decided we needed to be in the house before Christmas. So I asked off work for the last two weeks before Christmas I had been going to the house at night doing small cleanup things to move the contractors along. So I worked every day during the week cleaning and David helped me on weekends with painting. The contractors were aware of us desperately wanting to be in the house by Christmas Eve. In hindsight, I probably should have reconsidered that. I’m not sure I have ever worked so hard.

   Many times in life we feel alone when fighting our battles. This was one battle we didn’t have to fight alone. Our neighbors, our friends, family and our Church came together to help with clothing for all of us. Strangers came by with household necessities such as laundry detergent, brooms and mops. and personal items for each of us. There were even wrapped Christmas presents for the boys. The outpouring of love was overwhelming!  We were able to move back into our home two days before Christmas. We had very little furniture, and we would be searching for things for years that should have been on our lists. We just didn’t think about those things at the time. Most everything was replaceable with one big exception, our pictures of the boys and memories we shared as a family, including other Christmases.

   We had been shopping every chance we got to get the things we needed most. One was Christmas lights and a tree, as well as decorations for the outside. Decorating for Christmas was one thing David loved to do. He had Tim as his helper. David would have our little boy, in casts or braces, on top of the roof helping him, that year and many years to come. The two other boys were inside helping me that year. Ironically, the tree we had that year was my favorite Christmas tree of all time. Many years later, because it became too big for me, Tim took it into his own home to be used for his own children.

   It was Christmas Eve morning and the tree was up and the house was decorated, inside and out. Suddenly I realized that there were no drapes in the living room or curtains anywhere in the house. Off to Ben Snyder’s Department Store I went, measurements in hand

   Soon after I got home, the rods were up and we were hanging the living room drapes. The days we’re getting shorter, and it was beginning to get a little dark outside. The boys were once again voicing their concern that Santa would not know where they were. We were trying to assure them, and what I consider to be a small miracle occurred.

   Suddenly we heard bells jingling. Everyone stopped. Silence… except for the sound of the bells. Then, a knock on the door and a loud “Ho, Ho, Ho!!” The five of us on the inside of the door just looked at one another. There was no doubt we all believed in Santa at that moment. I opened the door and there stood Santa. Blue eyes sparkling, fat belly, no pillow like the ones at the mall, black boots, black belt, snow white beard, it was all there.

   “Ho! Ho! Ho!” Looking at his notebook, Santa spoke! “Do Timmy Woolley, Tony Woolley, and Doug Woolley live here?”  Three little boys stood in front of Santa. Their eyes wide open in disbelief of who stood before them. One by one they told Santa their names. Santa explained. “Well boys, I got your letters telling me you had moved somewhere else. Then I heard you came back here. So I had to do my last minute ‘checking it twice’ and find out for myself.” All three boys were still standing in amazement, as were David and I. “Well boys, I have to get going. I have my reindeer parked down the street. I got a lot of work to do. Ho! Ho! Ho!” With that, Santa turned and went out the door. The three excited little boys turned and ran to their rooms. I followed them to tell them good night. I had honesty never seen them so happy and excited. 

   Later that evening while we were waiting for the boys to go to sleep so that Santa could come, David asked me if I had arranged for Santa to make that visit. “No, I thought maybe you did.” He shook his head that he hadn’t.  The next morning the boys woke up to the realization that Santa really did come. 

   It would be another couple weeks before I would discover who sent Santa to our door. But I am not going to tell that part of the story. For me, it was my Christmas Miracle. Hopefully the day will come when those three little boys tell you about our fire and that Christmas.

   Our Insurance Company, our family, neighbors and friends, our church, the contractors, firemen, and people we had never met pulled us through those two months. I know in my heart God was leading them. 

   It took years before we knew the 90% of what we lost. The other 10% belongs to the unknown. But that’s okay.