When the fire in Alpine started last Tuesday, I was with my kids at a swimming pool in a neighboring community.

My son was on the high slide when he spotted a small column of smoke in the distance.  He came quickly to find me.

I was sitting in the shade, stitching together my daughters hexagon flowers, since it’s still hard for her to stitch together six sides to piece.  In fact she’s been stitching her flowers into the equivalent of a donut, then I put a center in for her.  Sewing them that way has been easier for her, since she only needs to stitch one side.

We watched the column grow with uneasiness…  and soon my cell phone rang.  It was one of my dearest friends and neighbor.  “Was I home? Did I know about the fire?”  “I think we might get evacuated… you’d better hurry.”

During the slow drive (5 mph) home through construction… congested with a whole lot of people driving toward the fire… I thought about what I would take with me if we were evacuated.

Of course I thought about important documents.  I thought about dog food and bird seed.

But what I really thought about was the things most precious to me.  Afterward, I realized with a shock, that jewelry or other “valuables” hadn’t once crossed my mind.

Instead I thought about baby books, wedding photos, and my kid’s artwork, my son’s Reflections contest photo and my girl’s embroideries, my computer with years of our family photos.

As we neared our home that day and saw the billowing smoke up close, I had an overwhelming emotion come over me.  What I needed most was already safe and sound.  My husband at was safe at work.  My kids were with me.

I am so grateful we didn’t end up evacuating.  I didn’t need to make the hard decisions about what to save.

It’s the second time this year that I’ve been reminded, in dramatic fashion, to focus on what is really important.

Don’t you just love the quotes on Pinterest?  Some make me laugh, and some make me think.  I saw this quote again this week and thought I’d share:

We would do well to slow down a little

focus on the significant

and truly see the things that matter most.

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I was behind on my Bee’s Knees Bee Block, and I’d like to blame it on Summer.

But actually I think I was a little intimidated by June’s bee block.  Excited to try it, but intimidated.

Erika, from Pink Suede Shoe, sent out a fun, bright bundle of fabric- all turquoise, pink and yellow.  The assignment was Improv.  Go with the flow and sew.

The fact that I don’t really understand Jazz music aside, I think I’m fairly easy going.  But even still, I found myself wanting to draft my block before going for it.  I wanted a plan.

Despite my reservations I decided to embrace the idea of Improv, the quilting equivalent of Jazz and see what happened.  Doing new things was the whole point of joining the Bee in the first place, after all.

You know what?  Improv quilting is very liberating.  I loved every minute of making Erika’s block.  I liked the fact that I didn’t need to worry about accuracy.  I didn’t need to think about points coming together.  I could just put pretty fabrics together in a way I liked.

Thank you Erika for a great assignment!

Now for a little update on the fire on the mountain behind my home.

When we came home at midnight on the 4th of July, I set up my tripod to capture this photo:

If you look closely, in the lower left corner of the photo, you can see the roof of my neighbor’s home.  The fire wasn’t threatening their home or ours, but it was certainly getting very close to our neighborhood.  The fire was just coming over the closest ridge to our homes.  It was unsettling in the extreme to see the fire’s progress.

We looked at the forecast for the next day, a cool down was expected, with a chance for some scattered showers.  The weatherman stressed that not everyone would get rain, but it sounded hopeful.

Thursday morning we had planned a trip to the zoo with our cousins.  As we pulled out of our driveway, drops of rain began to fall.  I said a silent prayer that it would be more than just a sprinkle.

And rain it did.  It rained for hours- a glorious, steady rain.

When we arrived home after our soggy trip to the zoo, the rain had stopped.  The air was fresh and clear.  The billowing smoke was almost gone, with just wisps of steam high on the mountain.  As we drove up toward our home and the mountain, my kids and I stared in stunned silence.

I didn’t capture a photo, but Erika of Pink Suede Shoe did.  Rising from the previously burning mountain, was a beautiful double rainbow.

Our little community in Alpine is feeling profoundly humble, awed, and blessed.