fire Archives - Homemade Ocean

Hope your weekend was amazing! If it wasn’t then go enter our giveaway and maybe that will make it better. Heck, even if it was amazing….go enter.

This Monday, I wanted to do something very near and dear to my heart. I hope maybe my story may move you to join me in this Monday’s Challenge. A few years ago, I went through a series of events that forever changed my thinking. One of those major events was when my gramma passed away in a fire. I was unbelievably close with my grandparents and it still hurts my heart to think about her last phone call to 911. She knew she wouldn’t make it out alive.

Three months earlier, we had a fairly casual conversation regarding adding steps to her back porch. I had helped my grampa build the porch nearly fifteen years earlier. By “helped” I mean brought him lemonade and handed him nails in between dance breaks, but the one thing we didn’t build on that porch was steps.

During that simple conversation, my gramma confided that she was terrified of a house fire because she knew that there was only one way out of the house. If she went anywhere but out the front door, she would be trapped. Painful, painful memories now. Oh how I wished I had built those steps.

My gramma didn’t head towards the front door, I would assume the smoke disoriented her and I pray she just fell asleep. Then I get to the really horrific part, the part no one talks about, the thoughts that I bury deep inside. The thoughts of fire eating me alive. Do you ever think about that? Is it something you are scared of?

Did you know that there are people who actually run into fires? I am sure you did, but did you know that almost 73% of them are volunteers. They don’t even get paid to run into something I am completely terrified of.

My gramma was one of 3,430 people that died in a house fire that year, and every year over 100 firefighters are taken. To say it is dangerous work is an understatement. Not everyone can be saved, especially in a rural area, but there are thousands of people saved every year thanks to firefighters.

When was the last time you actually thanked a firefighter? Have you ever? This week I am sending a card to the brave men and women who ran into my grandparents house, who tried to save my gramma. I am also sending a card to our local firehouse, you know getting on their good side!

Do you know a firefighter?
Ever been affected by a fire?

Monday Funday….

Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, huh?

When I was a wee little lass my grampas neighbors used to invite me over to hone my entrepeneur skills. We made a deal that for every cigarette butt I picked up out of their yard I got a nickel. That was big money for a seven-year old back in the day. Especially since back in the 80’s people really knew how to smoke em. I could usually pull together at least four dollars, enough for a new Troll doll so I was thrilled.

Today, I am doing it for free. The annual cigarette butt litter, end on end, measures more than 2 million miles. That is 337 round trips from Los Angeles to New York. Most people who would never consider throwing a piece of paper on the ground have no problem flicking a butt out the window.

I am not trying to hate on all y’all smokers ok, you made me a good living back in the day. All I am saying is that cigarette butts are ugly, they cause over 25,000 fires each year, and they take decades to decompose.

So today, don’t flick your butts. And if you don’t smoke, try picking up a couple. I know picking up a strangers cigarette butt seems a teensy bit nasty but just think of the baby bird that won’t end up with it in their belly.

Remember when cars had ashtrays?
Are you a butt flicker and proud?
How did you make money as a kiddo?

Tag Archives: fire

Make Monday Matter....thank a firefighter

Make Monday Matter....pick up butts