Her show (Cinderella) on Sunday, was at 2 and I just got on the highway when my phone rang. A friend of my husband from the local fire dept was trying to reach him to see if he heard the news, a call had just come in for a fire at Boyden's Sugarhouse in Conway. My heart was racing as I tried to reach my husband. I didn't know till later his phone was hanging, in the pocket of his coat, on the mirror of his truck where he was splitting wood. Once off the highway, I pulled over to track down someone in town, and I heard the report, "fully involved structure fire."
Many thoughts came to mind. "Where are my boys?" I was not so much concerned they were in it, I was confident Howard and Jeanne would be sure they were safe, as I worried they were hysterically watching their beloved sugarhouse burn while adults bustled around them. I needed to get there. I also was alarmed to think of a fully involved blaze while my brother in law was boiling, is he ok? what happened? no way in hell he would let it go without a fight. . . over his dead body. . . when hell freezes over. . .
Little did I know he was inside at that moment about a foot or two from the flames with just a one inch pine wall between him and the blazing wood shed. He was holding fire from racing across the peak with a water hose, electric pump and his thumb and the very generous help of a passerby who grabbed the fire extinguishers and blasted them under the door at the fire on the otherside!
Howard had a quick positive response to inquiries of a workbee the next day. He began seeking out folks he knew had skills he needed, but little did he know how many would seek him out on this day of blue sky, bitter cold, and optimism. Out of the ashes they rose like a phoenix, a beautiful sight after the fire.
Related:
- Help the Boydens stay sweet! - Massachusetts Maple Producers Association
- Conway, MA Boyden Sugarhouse Fire - BLOG360°
From the blog Parenting and Pedagogy by Amy boyden Parenting and Pedagogy is about writing Amy's way. Thinking about parenting, teaching, literacy, arts, life, and finding her next path. Each Tuesday she participates in the Slice of Life Tuesday Challenge hosted by Two Writing Teachers. Follow Amy's blog... |