Well the night before the 4th is certainly an interesting one-
 
At 5:30 PM when the circuit breaker went off in the building for the
second time-- Both Dino and I smelled smoke-- we could not locate the
smoke and as my gut twisted ever way a gut can twist- the fire department
was called-
 
Standing on the second floor with out electric heat outdoors in the 90's
looking in at a room full of personal ferrets with a cat and dog at my
feet.  I cannot describe the pain, the anguish and the exasperation I
went through.  No where to go.
 
Soon 2 fire trucks and ambulance and a crowd of people were in the yard,
in the street as firemen in gear with breathing apparatus came herding
through from this entry and that - up the stairs to the second floor - the
third... I looked sadly in at the elder ferrets - Numenor now 5 years old
had just been pulled form a low blood sugar episode 30 minutes before- it
would be getting hot and it surely smelled of smoke-- they were stressed
more than I apparently.
 
The fire men said you better get out -- so for a moment I did- I took the
new rescue dog on lead and ran across the street to the ladies home - they
walk him on occassion and headed back into the house..  As I ran they
popped out the door and I hollered I have a fire-- off I went..  still
the firemen unable to locate the source said you all better get out-- I
ran to the shelter feeling guilty I left 21 ferrets on the second floor
with as many on the first floor but I was alone-- for the moment.
 
In the shelter rooms I could see the street, the trucks, the crowd-- I
just peered at the cages and smelled the smoke which was settling from
the second floor.  It was 5:45 on July 3rd- the 12 noon appointment was a
no show, I missed all my meals (again) I had no volunteers close by to
call - It was Dino - myself and all the ferrets... and too many firemen
now bringing hoses through the door up the stairs to the attic areas.
 
I prayed - hey Dad can you give us a hand here??  But even the shelter
was now dark, now getting warm and there was no quick resolution to the
problem.  More cars were clogging the roadway - someone I don't even know
said I brought some cages if you need them--(sure where would I put them?)
as I was glued to the floor not wanting to upset the little faces more
than need be.
 
Finally the time came the water was pumping into the building- it was hot,
humid and now dank- all combined with a smokey flavor-- the ferrets had to
go - I said I will stay here with the ferrets Hoping we could go out in a
blaze of glory-- the woman in a pristeen home with A/C across the street
had offered her living room & dining room for the ferret cages carriers &
crates.  Several hands picked them up as I readied them haphazardly in
the shelter room which was looking horrific in all the bustle- You never
would have known just yesterday I was chatting with the state inspector as
he remarked how great it looked (another century had passed it seemed) -
And at last they, the ferrets were all set on her carpets immaculate &
clean.  I ran from building to building bringing water bottles, food,
newspaper - as ferrets were in crates & cages not outfitted with food ,
water, paper , bedding etc.  Just to get them out-- until we would hear
the verdict.
 
The fire chief said no electricity until electricians go through -- sigh..
okay night before the fourth-- water damage- no electric hot & humid a
picnic, a cakewalk --not quite.  Sigh..  Doomed utterly doomed the old
1900's house a rambling structure would sit lifeless..  and I was feeling
so out of place imposing the animals on a neighbor I hardly knew.  And
they needed to be cleaned - etc.  We found one electrician who did a
review on his way out of town for the fourth- at least a 2 man job all
the 7 charred coils of wire needed to be gone through, the junction box
gone, wire burned for more than a foot, charred beams though intact ,etc.
it was too big and at the wrong time--
 
We thanked him and said goodbye- another electrician was alone providing
emergency coverage for a local company- agreed to arrive - he also looked
at the project-- what was needed was to make 3 lines from one large one -
the one which nearly burned the house to the ground-- yes 10 minutes more
and we would have had a cellar hole to look at corroborated by fire chief,
and 2 electricians -- but he might be able to get the first floor back on
line
 
So 3 hours or more later we have a green light for the shelter -- I have
refrigerator, stove and computer on first floor-- we have temporarily run
electric from the 1st floor to the 2nd to provide A/c for the personal
ferrets - and otherwise will reside w/o second floor electric etc.  It
could have been worse- it is NOT nice but we will muddle through- laundry
to the laundromat tomorrow, else the smoky wet towels will turn in the
hot dank air..not quite the Holiday I envisioned Happy 4th of July!  Alas
we have a shelter again alive with ferrets!
 
Alicia- with the many faces at Ferret Wise
www.ferretwise.org
a 501c3 organization
PS- We found an excellent use for the New Englander cages fro Martins -
thank you Skip Martin-- it was not what I envisioned when we purchased
them for the shelter- but-- they sure did earn their keep.
[Posted in FML issue 3833]