Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

 

The Raconteur Report normally posts a song every Sunday morning. This week he posted five, all with the common theme of fire. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes is one of the five. This one is a different version than the one he put up, but this is the one that was playing back when I was in knee-pants and out of all the artists that have recorded this song, still my favorite. 

I certainly feel sorry for all those folks who have lost their homes and businesses. We lost a barn to fire when I was a young man. It was arson, as perhaps some or all of the LA fires might have been. While the barn was insured, the insurance money didn't cover all the costs of the material things or the livestock. Take a couple of minutes and try to think of everything that's in your garage or basement. Unless you have a photographic memory, you'll never be able to remember everything that was lost. And if you're like most people you're way under insured if you want to replace all those items at today's prices. Of course, some things can't be replaced at any cost. 

Whether you lose your home to fire, hurricane, tornado, or any other disaster, your life will be changed forever going forward. I bought a small safe form Harbor Freight a couple of years ago for some of my valuables. I also bought a fireproof bag that holds some copies of my important papers that stays in the safe. I don't know if the two together will protect what's inside the safe but I've also got copies in other places. There's a new resale shop close to us. If the house burns down and we lose everything, I'll load up the Missus and get us a new wardrobe, some dishes and utensils, and then find us some shelter. It'll be tough but we'll probably be a lot better off than many of the fire victims or the ones out east trying to recover from the hurricane.

I urge all of you to take a few minutes and give your emergency plan some thought and honestly evaluate your situation. Then do something to improve it.