....every 7 years......

Somewhere it is written that every 7 years something happens. Well, we have now proved the theory correct. We have had the fire department @ our house now just a few weeks shy of the 7 year anniversary of the last time.
Here's the story.....let me paint the set-up for you.
Memphis ice storm- not as bad we have had in our bank of experiences. Power stayed on for us to get home from work and have dinner and watch a little TV, had a nice fire in the fire place. The about 10 ish the power goes out. The drill begins of finding the flashlights, then the spare batteries for the flashlights and the candles and JT remembers the kerosene lamps which set off fire detector #1. I have a monster headache and try to go to bed minus my electric blankey but still warm enough. Not quiet enough- you could hear tree limbs cracking and falling outside.
The boys- JT and Jacob decide to go out around town to see what the roads are like and what is open, so near midnight the go outside and before the back out of the driveway the see fire coming from the chimney. OOH, so cancel going out. they come back in and smoke detector #2 goes off which gets me up to see their frantic scramble for water that they pitch into the woodstove causing steam to be everywhere. smoke is filling up living room, which gets my feathers ruffled. I offer to call 911 and am told to not yet it's under control. Fire drill class from grade school comes back to mind--- "leave the fire and call the professionals" before it gets too big.
So on my second offer to call 911, I am told go ahead. 911 boss tells me to get all the people out of the house. I am folding to this authority figure and start determining what to take with me as i abandon the house. They only thing I think to take is my genealogy on jump drive and head outside to our predetermined meeting place. I never even thought about my purse, car keys or medication until it was all over and I came back inside....go figure.
So @ Midnight-ish here comes 3 fire trucks with lights and sirens, 2 police who barricade the street off, fire chief car and firemen and one fire lady with gear and O2 tanks into my house. They check the roof, look up the chimney, check out the attic and find all is well. All clear and after 20 minutes they were gone again to fix their computer problem back at the station house. They had power or generator I guess.
well that's how our night was. Woke up the neighborhood, but everybody and everything is fine. Just to note, we were watched over and protected. Why did the boys want to leave a warm dark house in the middle of an ice storm @ midnight only to discover a chimney fire. ??? Had they not gone out, we would have been unable to act promptly and save the house. And thanks to the fire crew for checking out everything.

Lights and power came back about 3:15 and found us warm and toasty, only mildly inconvenienced.

New Cousin found

I have been doing "in depth" genealogy research for many years now and it is always a special time when new relatives are connected to the tree. Well this past week, one of those few great times happened. Since fall I have had my "tree" on ancestry.com and have been connecting a twig here and a twig there. Well finally connected to a cousin on the Tatum line.
Once upon a time Susie Tatum had a baby sister Jeannette Tatum. Around 1917 their respective families got together and had this picture taken.



Susie is my Great-grandmother. (Her daughter Thelma Bell Rustemeyer- her daughter Betty Rustemeyer Vaughn- her daughter me... ??got it?)

So Jeannette Tatum married Ernest Delk and had one son Ernest. Ernest had a few marriages and children and Jeannette Delk Brighton, named for her grandmother is in contact with me and shared the following pictures in her e-mail today....
I hope to learn more about her and her side of the family and share stories soon.

oh, I am having trouble copying and attaching her pictures......may have to add later. anyway, that's what's new here. Stay warm family.