sunday, july 13th, 2025

Happy Bastille Day, everyone!  

We're back! Six months is a half a year.  

A bunch of days. Nights full of full moons.  A double rainbow.  

A stint as a high school English teacher.  

A 70th birthday. A 28th wedding anniversary.  

A trip to DC. A goodbye and farewell to our Tajik "daughter". 

A design for a new home. A demo of an old one.  

A son home from college, for a day. 

A tornado. Another son returning home awestruck at clearing 100-year-old trees from the streets.  

Pretending to be a social worker to help a disabled friend find new housing, medical care, and pay her bills.  

Completing a final edit of a friend's dissertation. 

Writing a play. 

Accepting a new job as a part-time theatre teacher. 

Watching our bodies get older as our minds get younger.  Not remembering how hard it is to be young.  Wishing parents could embed their own trials and errors into their children to save them some time and angst. Imagining how a young person keeps their hope alive like we had no problem doing. 

Thinking about new professions, hobbies, and pathways when we probably don't have the time to do them.  Trying  them anyway.  

Looking around at what there is left to learn about Earth and humans.

 Regretting not reading the great American canon, instead of binge watching Ted Lasso. 

Regretting not binge-watching Nova instead of binge-watching  Virgin River.  

Well, that about catches you up.  

sunday, april 20th, 

easter 2025

This Easter, we McMackins, not very Catholic any more (recovering), and still pondering the mysteries we can't solve while we're here, are celebrating our own resurrection in many ways.  So many things have upset the expectations, routines, emotions, and psyches of all of us, but as we welcome Spring, 2025, our lives have become more deeper with meaning and promise.  A bunch of fledgling phoenixes out of the fire.  House plans are moving to the demo phase, and we're looking at drawings for tweaks and twitches to the original design (after adding a second story in 2011) that will mean both improvements to the living space and more integrity for the design as an original Arts and Crafts bungalow.  It's a real journey in communications between spouses; deep conversations about simple things like faucet style, width of washing machines.  Most of us never get to make the choices we're being offered about our home environment.  After studying school libraries as learning environments for so many years, Stacey's applying some of the same principles of welcoming, warmth, comfort, and simplicity (with an overabundance of counter space and storage) to our redesign, with the help of a talented local architect.  In about 3 weeks, we hope to start seeing the design come to life.  The difference between this and the many stage sets Stacey has designed/produced is, it can't be fixed for the next performance.  This will most probably be our home for "the ages", at least the elder of us.  It's such a wonderful opportunity to make it a home we love to be in.  Hope the insurance company agrees. 

as a side note: Below is a script I wrote for this weeks Creative Writing Humor assignment...a timely look behind the scenes with the first all-women "explorer" crew in space....

sunday, april 13th. Here's (Here are?..noooo...the noun is singular!!!) a couple of late night scribblings, one for an assignment in my Humor writing class, and the other a much belated thank you. 

A Psalm of Praise for our Brave Fire and Rescue

A small celebration on New Year’s

Transformed into one of life’s great fears.

We lost most our stuff

And sure it was rough.

But RHFD earned deserved cheers.

Cat Lewis and Hedwig, our canine.

Watched RHFD make a beeline

To save Pat and Conor, 

(We thought they were goners!)

Til the quickly placed ladder they downed fine.

With Shukrona our student exchange

And Harlan and Stacey in range

We all checked out safe,

With no cuts or chafe,

Save two sooty faces ..a bit strange.

So how we will sing all your praise

When most we have’s this corny phrase?

Just  know in your hearts

That McMackins will start 

With thanks, RHFD, each day. 

Thanks for everything.

The grateful residents of 7225 El Moro Ave. 

Richmond Heights, MO

tuesday, april 8th

In our little corner of democracy, we're electing two school board candidates, unopposed, and voting and hopefully passing two school district propositions. Local buzz as Patrick has tromped the neighborhoods canvassing and putting out signs, is that 1) "we've voted for those over and over again" (and gotten extensive renovations to all three schools, including much needed classrooms, a gym, etc. etc.  2) "I'm tired of raising taxes" (this proposition as most that have come before, does not raise taxes) and 3) "I know that MRH teachers are some of the best in the area, and deserve to have a compensation package that rivals those of other St. Louis districts, besides the updates needed to our non-functioning track, roofs and HVAC...those unseen things that homeowners have to pay for every chunk of years, but patrons often fail to observe in our 100-year old buildings.  We're hopeful tonight that local voters will support the future of our world, our children.  

Public schools are under attack.  That and the attack on freedom of the press, information, and speech are subtle but effective tools for bringing about the end of a democracy.  We're not crying wolf here, people.  Every one of us needs to yell, scream, and write, call and vote, now.  I'm so proud of a member of my family who, though older than me (is anyone?) went out in the rain last weekend for the "HandsOff" protest in West County.  Good on ya!  What are you doing for your children's future? (note to self, as well.)

My birthday last week brought so many wonderful connections and wishes from such good people (my friends and family are they), that I've emerged re-energized and armoured to start reading the news again. 

But mostly just humor.  Recommendations:  SNL (free clips on YouTube), Jeff Tiedrich, The Onion, New Yorker cartoons.

Below is a short piece I did for class this week.  Those of you who grew up in suburban St. Louis will recognize some of the themes.  

A Citizen’s Tour of Maplewood, MO. 

Spring, 2025. Two elderly women, in an aging mini-van with an “I(Heartr) Maplewood” sticker, and all the stickers from each state and national park that the owner has visited over the 12 years she’s had the minivan.  It’s mid-afternoon on a Saturday. The two are coming home from grocery shopping.  The van’s owner has taken her passenger shopping with her as she is disabled, and doesn’t drive.  They both grew up in Maplewood, both went to (“Where’d you go to high school?”) Maplewood Richmond Heights High School. “Go Blue Devils!” 

Day 1 Itinerary

• Leave  Costco. 

• Scenic tour of Bellevue, Arlington and Yale Ave.  

• Photo stops at two historic Maplewood homes.

“Ok. It’s down here. Slow down, I can’t see the street sign without my readers. Take a left.  No,  a left.  Watch out! That guy’s not stopping!  God, who taught you to drive?”

“You know who. Coach Lensky. Football and Driver’s Ed.  Remember, he smoked Camel Lights non-stop when he wasn’t stomping on his passenger side teacher brake.” 

“Before seat belts, neck restraints, and liability insurance.” 

“Oh, trained by Coach Lensky. That  explains the exterior of your van.“ 

“Yeah, George is  finally replacing the side mirror.  Duct tape isn’t working anymore.”

“Oooh, slow down.  There it is!  That’s the one.  Third house down on Arlington!”  

“The one from Halloween?”

“Yeah. You know Boo Radley from To Kill a Mockingbird?  The guy who lived there used to only come out of his house on Halloween.  He looked just like him.”

“White, pasty face, stringy white hair, overalls, long dirty fingernails,” 

“I always closed my eyes when he put candy in my pillow case.  Couldn’t eat any of it afterwards if I’d seen what touched it.”

“And his candy was so lame. LifeSaver mints, individually wrapped.”

“He musta had a stash for his bad breath encounters.”

“Oh, don’t make that picture in my head.  Mr. John encountering…anyone.”

“They were probably really little air fresheners.”

“One year, my little brother was out for the first time, and he was so scared after I dragged him up on Mr. John’s porch, he pulled away from me and ran back down the stairs. He tripped over his Ninja Turtle shoe covers and fell flat on his face on the sidewalk.”

“ remember that. That blew your trick or treat.  You had to take him home.  And couldn’t go back out again.”
“You guys filled your pillow cases that year with great stuff. You were on a sugar high for days. The teachers did double duty during after-lunch recess for two weeks.  Me, I finished all of my candy before I went to bed that night. Everyone else had Hershey bars and bubble gum  in their lunches the next day.  I had a stomach ache.

“Ok, that’s enough of that house…Keep going to the end of this street. Turn left. It’s just at the end of this block.  Yeah, see that little apartment complex that looks like a cheap motel?”  

“Oh, yes. The “Have You Seen This Girl?” place….”  

“Heidi Collins, July, 1997.”  (to be continued)

monday, march 31st

Today is the last day of the last month of my 70th year on the planet.  The length of time I've been around only becomes apparent to me lately, when I've reconnected with worlds and friends who I've been separated from, some for as many as 50 years..This isn't a blame game for friendships neglected.  Life is just like that.  We have great friends, we move locations, get married, have children, and the circle of closeness changes.  But some people, thank god, take the time and effort to at least sent out signals on a semi-regular basis to maintain contact.  Kind of like Voyager whatever number sending signals back to Earth.  Isn't one signal at this point taking a number of years to reach us?  What this last few months have meant to me, reconnecting to people and receiving love and gifts from them, waves have been breaking that have  been building up for years and years, against the walls that surround me in my everyday, one week at a time,existence.  I spend my consciousness  looking forward to the next time I can sleep in, go out to dinner, go on a vacation, listen to a cheesy romance novel, see my grown boys for 10 minutes of real conversation.  That's called living in the present.  

But I've had lots of presents.  And almost all of them have been revealed again,in detail to me in the past few months.  In some reunions, some phone calls, some dinners, and some trips, I've re-discovered each of the many Stacey Morris (Mastrianni) McMackins that have had their own present. Often they're identified by location:  Gray Drive.;Lancaster Terrace, London; Alpha Chi Omega;rehabbed former slave cottage, Summerville South Carolina; little white rental house with a couple of chickens and an Italian Irish hunk; the house with "two points" in Ladson; a very chic condo on the Charleston peninsula, where the landlady prohibited the placement of a plastic pink flamingo by my front steps; an apartment with dachsund on the top floor on Rue...? in Boitsfort; Gray Drive back with my parents; El Moro Ave., and, now, another house with a point, St. Alban's Ave.  The people at these locations were part of separate identities and worlds.  Some of them met each other at my first wedding.  More of them met at my second wedding.  It was like being in a room with five or six parallel universes converging, but without the digital effects or laser attacks. 

I'm now experiencing, thanks to three firecracker shells dropped in a wastebasket on New Year's Eve, another convergence of the Parallel Universes of Stacey.  But as I celebrate this birthday, I hope I'm not just looking at them, but soaking them into my, perhaps final, universe on this planet.  One that is all of the me's and the loves of this life staying connected to enjoy with the time I have left.  Plus, of course, new things...Creating art, writing, getting to know my children as adults, and meeting new friends.  

Here are a few pics of things we've been doing. 

sunday, march 16th

friday, march 7th

Wow! That week got away from us!  This piece is a catchup (not ketchup) to the McMackin saga for the week, and a comment on...well, more at the end.

Pics are of our exchange student, Shukrona, and me in Jeff City.  We went to see democracy at work, as part of her  State Department sponsored FLEX exchange program. The program brings scholarship students from Central Asia and other countries to the US for cultural and family experiences, as "people - to - people" ambassadors.  We had a student from Tajikistan, Amir, stay with us during the boys' junior year at MRH, and he was one of the most kind, intelligent, and interested teenagers I've ever had the pleasure to...live with! Shokruna, also from Tajikistan is at the top of her class academically, speaks three languages fluently (in Tajikistan, they study Russian in first grade, then start English a bit later, as well as speak their native Tajik, which is similar to Farsi, or Persian). We've learned so much from her, especially the family values and dedication of her loved ones.  Her "bio" parents have 5 kids, and all of Shukrona's older sibs are happily married, successful, and world-travelled.  In Jeff City, Shukrona and the girls were able to visit three of our (Democratic) state reps, and I was amazed at their poise and candor in asking them what they were working on, and sharing their educational experiences and culture. Shukrona routinely introduces herself with "Hi, I'm Shukrona, from Tajikistan-Central Asia" as she nor I have rarely met an American who knows it's a country, much less where it's located.  Not a hot spot for tourists, but it should be.  

Other pics, a few more shots of the burned-out stuff...This week we're finalizing the emptying of the contents of our lives into boxes, dumpsters, and storage facilities.  Patrick and I have had numerous "controversies" about the arrangement and disposition of the last pile in the basement. Choices include: 

• Saved by us for cleaning later, cause the clean-out service has deemed it "Unsal"-vageable , or "Toxic" or "we can't take that", but we think we want to try. These include water-damaged boxes of first-grade worksheets, favorite ball caps, high school theatre posters, sleeping bags, and camera lenses.  

• Saved by us for later donating to Goodwill, or other outlet.  Patrick has committed to this.   

• Saved by us and awaiting shipment to our local storage facility, the corner of our garage. 

• Taken away by "BIG", the restoration company doing textiles and electronics.  I discovered that I own four, count them four, fur coats!  Granny had a full-length mink, Mom settled for a squirrel stole, but I still have pics of each of them in their furs, wearing tailored suits, and smoking a cigarette in classic film noir style.  

Mom was a mystery novel-binger and I think of her everytime I read a new British "cozy", my new favorite genre.  (Richard Osman ROCKS!) Did I tell you about the Thursday Murder Club series?  Waiting months for the 5th book, just like I waited a year for the latest Louise Penny (Gamache series..) Thanks, Ian and Beth, two of my best literary advisors.  

But I digress.  This is enough for one post, without deepening your disinterest by exposing all the other current threads of consciousness in a soon-to- be-septuagenerian. Does any septuagenerian have enough cognitive ability left to be able to spell "septuagenarian"? Hooray for cut and paste. 

thursday, february 13th

This is our first, and hopefully only, Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend in our temporary home on St. Albans.  Of all the creatures who have been settling in, Lewis is probably the most comfortable.  He governs the entire second floor and staircase, with traverse rights through the dining room and to his restroom in the basement.  Hedwig has adjusted to walks on the leash and occasional pop-outs to the front porch for a pee and a possum...that is, a meet and greet with the neighborhood possum who finds our front porch attractive for some reason.  

Harlan's regretting the thought of moving back to 'El Moro, as he has the entire second floor.  We're thinking about a sublet.

Shokruna has a door, (missing until Patrick installed one) and a wardrobe (no closet) in her bedroom.  IKEA has changed a bunch.  They don't tell you that you have to load three boxes of particle board sheets onto a dolly and into a car, cause everything's "self-service" now.  Luckily we had a friend and two strong males to assemble and load the friggin' thing into the house.  This process markedly differed from the trips to IKEA that Stacey took with her friends, furnishing their first apartments as newly arrived faculty at the International School of Brussels.  Particles weighed less then.  Of course, the vague pictorial instruction diagrams can be augmented by YouTube these days.  However, if you've ever tried to hold your device, press play, and stop at the step you've not started yet, then start again, you'll understand that technology isn't always an advancement in life.  

Patrick and I are engaged in the final inventory and cleanout of our life's possessions, and on track to view the demolition of the space, leaving frame and bricks only.  Fire mitigation is a science neither one of us knew or cared about before this.  (Did you know that, just like a house that had chain smokers in it - my parents' house - our house has to have the frame and bricks sealed so we aren't smelling melted toxins when we move in?)

Those of you who have design/decoration experience are beginning to get contacted for consultation.  El Moro started out as a Craftsman style bungalow, and we'd like to be able to be true to the style as much as we can in the renovation.  Our wonderful second story put a strain on the exterior style, but we have some ideas for this too. Decisions involve colors, woodwork style, windows, etc.  This is the fun part of the disaster.  

If friends and family have any input on replacement/renovation brands, styles, materials...your favorites, what you paid for that you now regret, etc., please feel free to share.  You know where to find us.  

PS. Keep them cards, calls and nights out comin'! We've seen friends and family more than we ever have this month, and want to keep you in our lives more than ever!  Come over to see the "new" place...an excuse for Stacey to finally do some housekeeping.  

saturday, february 1st 

Don't ever tell me to "calm down."  The South Asian "custormer service" guy saying that should have been the strongest cue, among many, that I was getting scammed by a sophisticated team who remoted into my new Dell and took us for...well, so much that I'm still crawling out from under the Rock of Stupidity.  People were amazingly nonjudgmental, and there's a special place for the guys in the cannabis store who caught me and saved me before I blew the whole wad.  That story is  long and sordid and worthy of it's own essay. 

But comments and advice like this seem to be increasing in density and quantity as I and my loved ones navigate this passage.

A few more observations.  

Having a house fire should be classified in the "life event" category, along with birth of a child, marriage, death of a loved one, wedding, divorce, forced emigration, graduation from Law School, 

A House Fire should qualify for a House Warming which qualifies for a gift registry and/or party at the eventual restoration move-in.

Someone should offer to enlarge and enhance the two pdf's offered by the insurance company as guides to the process.  Terms like "fire mitigation, " "total loss", "demolition", "water damage", etc. are more specifically defined in this case than most people have experienced in their limited observation through classics like the epics featured at the end of this article.  

Anyone experiencing this type of event, should be prepared to: 1) assess their personal cognitive abilities honestly  versus those of their children and spouse 2) practice measured relaxation techniques 3) cut oneself off from all sensational news outlets, in other words, all of them 4) do a blog or some creative activity regularly, even if it's not for public view, to process the feelings, thoughts and information cascading through the body 24/7. 5) maintain awareness of the need for monitoring the mental health of all concerned and being proactive about observing, communicating and acting to give space for this.  6) maintain awareness of the concept of "grief" as applied to this event.  It's not exactly Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, but there are some stages in the processing of the images of your entire life's possessions burnt or melted, the constant discovery of little losses, the energy it takes to inventory replacements, and the outward manifestation of the emotions and thoughts in this process, in interactions with loved ones and friends who offer support.

Here's another thing I've learned that might be valuable to anyone going through a "negative"-toned life event like this one. 

Help is better if it's offered in specific ways.

Emotional support is better if offered, at least for me, in questions about specific needs, offers of concrete actions or materials, and empathy, in small doses.  

Saying "I'm sorry for your loss," is the go-to phrase for people these days for everything negative.  It's kinda like "Thank you for your service."  Think about what it does for the person you're speaking to.  "I'm sorry," in general, is about the speaker, not about the "victim".  It's asking the "victim" for forgiveness, even if it's for something the speaker didn't do.  The response from the "victim" takes energy and giving and many people, including me, are hard-pressed to spare our limited energy over and over again to say "Thank you, " or " It's not your fault.", or "That's ok, there are some positive things...", What we really crave is the gift of support for themselves at that moment, not for the well-being and satisfaction of the person offering the help.. The most supportive friends and family so far have been the ones who show up with a bottle of wine, an inquisitive and listening ear, Examples of help and friends I'll always remember are those who questioned or had the idea to help with:

bringing us coats, blankets and a chair to us on the sidewalk in front of the house while the fire-fighters were doing their work.

staying there until everything was done. 

inventory, redesign, finding your lost passwords,  

starting a social media blitz to find our lost cat, delivering a tote bag full of basic hygiene items and a couple of gift cards for Subway the day after the fire, 

taking the dog for two days while we decided where to put her, 

inviting our exchange student to their house for a couple of hours to give her a warm meal and some temporary replacement clothes, until we got settled into a hotel

calling with specific invitations to dinner, happy hour, a look at their new kitchen, and conversation.  

This Weekend: 

We still crave the social invitations, and specific offers of help.  But we also crave requests for help.  Helping others and work are good distracters when we can work them in, and fill the cup of energy to wake up, make another list, populate another spreadsheet, and continue with the project of rebuilding.  

Our new address, again:  7721 St. Albans Ave., Richmond Heights, MO. This goes until close to Thanksgiving 2025. 

Stacey's email and devices are conscious again, finally:  314-607-7857/staceymcm@sbcglobal.net.  

Hedwig and Lewis are cohabitating again.  Lewis is still the King.  It is good to be King.  🤟

wednesday, january 29th

MINI ALERT!!!!!!

i CRUNCHED MY IPHONE IN THE PARKING LOT OF RED ROBIN LAST NIGHT...DON'T ASK.  

PLEASE CONTACT BY EMAIL OR CONTACT PATRICK'S PHONE IF IT'S BEFORE NOON ON WEDNESDAY.  

It's amazing how much that piece of plastic and silicone is embedded in my mind.  Next step: a chip in my wrist???

monday, january 27th

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?

      Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”

      He chortled in his joy.

from "The Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll...in Alice in Wonderland

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!  

How many times I've wanted to shout that out loud for some reason, any reason. I just had to today...This week, we're moving into our temporary, but delightful home: 7721 St. Albans Ave., Richmond Heights, 63117.

Mail will start arriving there any time and is welcome. 

I, for one, am a bit overwhelmed at the thought of packing, and moving, even though it's only our 5 kitchen utensils, purchased computer stuff, and recovered clothing for the most part.  The other losses compounding this are the dual joys of housekeeping and takeout.  Put those two together and my domestic duties have all but disappeared, if they ever were there in the first place.  Even the joy of coin laundry,where you can do three loads at the same time, then ride the elevator with them back to your room, is a loss.  

The positives?  Today we met with our first bidder for the McMackin Mansion 2.0. Not a new home, but the home I've been living in for 27 years, completed...finally. All the projects on the bucket list, all the little details that bug you about coming home at night...all replaced by, well, replaced by something better, and authentic.  The 1920's original woodwork, custom leaded glass bookcase doors, stained glass by the fireplace, even the fireplace brick, will be rejuvenated or replaced. And some design decisions that have been made in haste on a limited budget might have a chance to bloom into tasteful elements of a perfect redo of a 100 year old, St. Louis red brick bungalow.  

O frabjous day! Oh blissful naivete!

Calloo! Callay!  Oh blind optimism!

Oh, well. It's today.  Savor it. It's a (the) present. 

friday, january 24th

A few pics I got this afternoon, documenting the interesting changes in our everyday environment.  My history in sheet music, probably 30 vocal scores of Broadway musicals, back to classical piano editions, and primer piano instruction books...

Move-in day, is now Tuesday, next week. Updates coming! 

thursday,  january 23rd

Just thawing out after record lows in St. Louis, but watching pics of our friends near Atlanta, Charleston, Houston, as they scrape ice off their palm trees.  

Lewis is basking in the warmth of his luxury suite at the Town Place Brentwood, but he is bound for even more fancy digs on Monday, as the McMackin entourage including Hedwig, still boarding at Pleasant Valley, makes its next move to our semi-permanent home in Richmond Heights!  We hope to be there no later than Thanksgiving '25, but Stacey will avoid roasting a turkey for the 30th consecutive year no matter where we hold the celebration.  

Meanwhile, work continues on inventory and the Servpro crew has fought the freeze to start work in the basement.  For us, the basement represents just about everything that we own but haven't looked at in 2 or more years.  Marie Kondo says, of course that that space would be better used to house cleaning supplies for the rest of the house. But the Servpro crew, luckily are not members of  the Kondo cult, and hopefully there will be no more Sparks in our house, of Joy or anything else.  They're helping us conserve the bins of first grade art, expensive clothes in sizes Stacey will probably never wear again, Granny's full length fur coat, and half of Patrick's family furniture legacy- solid hardwood, no laminate, but needing his expert carpentry attention.  

The inventory arrived in written detail today from our insurance company, and we had forgotten that we owned so many assorted Christmas ornaments, baskets, empty storage bins, and office supplies ("assorted", in all rooms of the house, including the basement.). 

Stay tuned for more amateur photo coverage, coming soon. 

sunday, january 19th

Trying to chill, literally, a bit today, after a slog through the soot yesterday....Spent some time sitting in front of Dean's garage, looking for Lewis.  No luck yet, but the new trap, sized XL should help.  Video is a bit self-indulgent, and recreational.  Now I understand why people do these "blogs".  It's like free therapy.   

BTW, anyone trying to reach us tomorrow, you will NOT be interrupting viewing or reading about the stuff going on in Washington.  Don't give it oxygen, please.  There are still people in St. Louis (and California) who want and need your immediate attention...Thanks. 

friday, january 17th

"We're gonna need a bigger trap" was the reason for a late night field trip to the Collinsville Rural King last night.  Did any of you suburbanites know that they have groceries?  After a lengthy discussion of the appropriate size (do we get the one that can trap a marmoset, raccoon or cat? or do we get the one that can trap a small bison?)  we settled on the "medium" size, hoping that Lewis will have his feline posterior well enough into the cage to have the back door close behind him, when he reaches for the yummies inside.  Stay tuned.

Cross your fingers as the McMackins may have their next accomodations locked in.  If the insurance company gives us a go, we'll be at the house below in central Richmond Heights.  An ideal house, and of course, "location, location, location".We'll know more Monday.  

View the home of our hopes: 7721 St. Albans 63117

Now to the nit-picking, soot-shaming latter stages of sorting through the contents..  Pics of our former home and our home away from home. 

wednesday, january 15th

Hope people enjoy the occasional illustrations. Any "pity or fear" generated by viewing them, as Aristotle requires for tragedy, is purely the effect of the drama, and is not necessary for the well-being of the real-life central characters.  

Today, it's officially TWO WEEKS since the big event.  Time flies when you're having fun, as we always say.  The TownPlace Suites has a couple of advantages.  We don't have to provide breakfast, wash our own towels, or empty our trash bins.  Little things mean a lot.  

As of Wednesday morning, our neighbor is seeing Lewis on his porch very frequently, but we think he's (Lewis) wise to the trap.  The food is still in there, but the door's been tripped twice with nothing inside.  Knowin Lewis' girth, we have a sneaking suspicion that he might not actually fit inside the trap, and may have tripped the door-plate without actually being within its grasp, easily backing out and escaping.  This way of course, being the gifted feline that he is, he has already learned the game of "Make Pat reset the trap!" It probably beats chasing a piece of string.  In the words of the famous line from Jaws, "we're gonna need a bigger [trap]."

Cross your fingers that the California victims will not take too much attention and energy away from our adjusters' dealing with our claim.  We're identifying with them and empathize their plight in the way only people going through something as surreal as this can.  But, of course, we got out, with our cars, help from the fire department, and everyone else.  "Everyone else" in CA is either a fellow victim or still fighting the blazes.  

Meanwhile, our days are filled with interesting activities and take-out meals. Not only is it possible to do indepth research on "hold music" selections, but playing "name that non-English accent" we play with customer service personnel, many of whom are only happy to take time to chat, once we get a live voice, is amusing.  

Please tell your friends and anyone who may not know about this UC (update Center) to tune in for details.  

Til, next time, keep those dinner/coffee/chat/adultbeverage invites coming.  Any activities a teenager might enjoy that you could invite her to would be great as well.  

sunday, january 12, '25

Update on Lewis:  Our new friend, Nan in Clifton Heights, gave a hero's effort to keeping a cat we all thought was a good match for Lewis at her house and neighbor's crawl space for the past 3-4 days.  Sadly, this evening Harlan confirmed that it's not our guy.

Ring camera in hand, we're on a mission to set up a really attractive haunt for Lewis back at our place, that we can monitor.

Meanwhile, pics of our view Over the Metrolink, romanti&c sunset at the TownPlace by Marriott, home of elite fire escapees, heroic AT&T fiber workers, many Asian businessmen, and a busy laundry room.  The laundry room is the quilting bee of the modern extended stay hotel, offering friendly advice about clothes cleaning, and where to find extra towels and toilet paper.

Thanks so much to C,C,H,T and A, and Aunties D and S for opening their home and bakeries to us...who knew that homemade Italian bread and chocolate chip cookies could be clinically more effective than prozac?  

Barry and Ian and Beth "therapized" Patrick and Stacey as well, one from across the state, commiserating on snow, and the others, well, WTF can one do when the Facetime background your looking at is a tropical sun coming through a window only feet from a beach, on an island I don't even pronounce correctly most of the time, cause I think only one cruise ship goes there.  Ian laughed in my face when I told him it was a good thing that they were sailing aroud the islands in April as I thought the weather would be more "settled" then.. (think hurricane season?) "The weather is never UN settled here, silly.  Its sunny, warm, and breezy 364 out of 365 days a year."  Silly me.  

We're thinking about all the families like ours in LA who're experiencing the exact same issues today as we were last week.  

Is everybody safe? Do I have a place to sleep tonight? Did I remember to grab my car keys and my phone?  Where's my cat? What'll I do if I don't have my blood pressure medicine til next Tuesday? if then? How do I function for the next few days in slippers and pajamas?  How do I go to work in my slippers and pajamas? Where's the money gonna come from if I can't work? 

Most of all....What have we lost?  

I guess we're so glad we were the only total loss fire in Richmond Heights, probably this month.  Makes it a bit easier to expect the insurance company to answer the phone.

Another time, I'll share reviews of "hold" music recently encountered.  So far at least four companies use the exact same loop, which only lasts about 10 seconds.  Imagine yourself on hold with that music for 5 minutes.  Set a timer for 5 minutes sometime when you have nothing to distract you from quietly waiting.  Imagine the impact the addition of that sort of "hold" music has on the customer's attitude, which is strained enough after being on hold...for 5 minutes.

Of course, for today, we end with, again and again....it's the people, not the objects.  

Here are some interesting examples for your next decision about your messaging system:

https://www.onhold.com/adult-contemporary-music.html

Semi-regular updates for our friends, family and interested parties....

saturday, january 11, '25

The story so far....

Morning of New Year's Day, '25.  7225 El Moro, Richmond Heights, MO. 11 AM. Outside temperature, 20's F. 

Stacey is drinking her second cup of coffee at the dining room table, making plans for dinner, watching Hedwig snooze on the floor next to the tree.  Last night, portions of the McMackin family were on the porch, listening to what were (hopefully) fireworks, watching a few through the trees.  Our foreign exchange student had just shared Instagram of the wild and beautiful celebrations in her native Tajikistan, wistfully joining her huge group of friends in wishing them a Happy New Year, 12 hours late.  Our contribution to the evening, were one package of "snappers", those little round balls you can throw on the walk for a little "snap", and three 1-inch "crackers", miniatures of the British Christmas tradition.  Pull the tiny string, hear the tiny pop, watch the tiny stream of confetti. Repeat.  Hugs, kisses for everyone, "night, night, sleep tite."  

Sometime between 12:30 AM and 10:30 AM, Stacey picked up the three tiny remainders of the celebration and put them....yes, wait for it...in the wastebasket by the back door. 

Later, the ServPro specialist will tell Stacey that she needn't be worried about blame for the cause being assigned to her as an indication of reluctance from Safeco to pay out.  They don't pay for intentional setting of a fire, but "insurance always pays for stupid." She's comforted by this.  

Fade back to morning at the table:  A hint of wood smoke tells Stacey someone's started a New Year's Day fire in their fireplace next door.  A bit later.  Wood smoke scent more prominent, but not enough to distract her from her addiction to YouTube  horse rescue videos.  A bit later.  Wood smoke scent and wood smoke.  Turn, widen eyes, stand up, scream.  Flames engulfing the entire back wall of the kitchen, including but not limited to the wastebasket, recycle bin, cabinet above, and, of course, the fire extinguisher.

Phone in pocket comes out, amid screams up the stairs to family members.  Smoke pouring up the stairs. Exchange student, Stacey and Hedwig, finally meeting Harlan coming down with Lewis in his arms, run out the front, calling 911.  Harlan reassures us that Patrick and Conor, upstairs, are getting out.  

Later we find out that Co. nor was in his bedroom with the door closed and Patrick in the shower down the hall, when Harlan notified  them.  They both quickly tood Conor's suggestion to avoid the flames coming up the stairs and make an exit by the route Conor and Harlan had used to escape at earlier ages, for other reasons (running away, or just for the thrill). They both left by the front bedroom window. 

On the front lawn, we turn to see them crawling out the master bedroom window and standing on the porch roof.  A minute later, the Richmond Heights firemen arrive with a ladder.  They descend and are immediately seen by the paramedic, who sees the soot and singes and transports both of them to the hospital to check for smoke inhalation.  

Stacey, Harlan, Shokruna and Hedwig  are met on the sidewalk by at least 5 neighbors and the firemen offering coats, blankets, a chair and assistance.  We're still returning stuff this week., and borrowing more. (Thanks Jeff and Mary, for the potential Wifi loan!) Lewis has escaped Harlan's arms, and our fat black feline is awol in the neighborhood, wisely exiting the scene.  

Twenty minutes later, it's done.  Firefighter Steve has gone in to retrieve keys, phones, and wallets where possible.  A check reveals the sad passing of our Russian tortoise, Jerry Garcia.  He is buried later on in a place of honor next to our other family pets of the past.  

Chief Goode has been on top of everything, making arrangements for a hotel, contacting Servpro for the initial boardup.  Servpro arrives, starts the boarding up, and we're left to pick up one of our missing members, Patrick,  from St. Mary's ER. Conor has already returned, with no issues except a sooty face and a singed eyebrow.  Shokruna and Stacey help Harlan and Conor's second Mom and Dad, the Nemeths,   take Hedwig and set her up for temporary accomodations.  Our sister in law, niece and her husband and daughter bring supplies, help sweep the glass out of the driveway to clear the cars for leaving, and usher Shokruna back to their house for a comforting dinner and borrowed clothes for the night.  

We had a place in our driveway for a white Sienna identical to ours, owned by friends from Columbia.  They were traveling to Boston for the holiday and wanted to avoid parking.  They got their car back, with the key and fob rescued by Firefighter Steve.  

The Courtyard Marriott in Richmond Heights has four restaurants next to it, and the busiest Starbuck's in St. Louis County. We tried them all but one, in the next two days.  The showers and sinks in those rooms will most likely be permanently gray.  Shokruna returns to us, and is incredibly calm and showing no outward signs of the shock we would have expected.  It's important to note that we all had retrieved our phones.  There are sometimes when we are skeptical of our dependence on these devices.  In this event, they were almost as important as a winter coat, for our survival. 

Next day, and for what will be the first week on agenda, we meet with Servpro, fire investigator, plumbers winterizing pipes, insurance reps on the phone and in person, and, of course, go to the house.

Neighbors and Next Door connections (thanks, Denise) have already set up two bins with warm blankets, an empty carrier, food and water for our fleeing feline.  The search for Lewis is ongoing as of today, with developments daily after consultation with potential neighborhood comfort zone providers, and our friend Mel who is a veteran cat-trapper, performing CIA level stakeouts in her Ontario hometown for feral cats she's trying to wrangle for a visit to the spay clinic before re-releasing.  In the past few days there have been two confirmed sightings, and we've reset the purchased trap 3 or four times, after it froze, and then captured two starlings.  Lewis has not been confirmed at the site of the trap, but the purchase of a camera is in the works, and hope is totally alive.  Experienced feline finders have reiterated to us over and over again that (with an indulgent, sympathetic smile) they've known owners whose furry friends have returned up to a year after running away.  In these cases, cats often return wearing sunglasses, and carrying small suitcases full of floral decorated garments.  

Update: As of 1-10-25, Lewis is still at large but we've had 6-7 credible confirmed sightings of him eating and drinking at a feline hostel in Clifton Heights .  We are in the process of centering our trapping efforts there.  More to come. 

The first encounters with the interior of the house have been less traumatic than we expected.  Stacey gave a brief and informative tour to her sister and great nephews two days after the event, and spent time with her attentive audience describing in detail how different objects and structures visually showed the effects of flames, water, heat and toixic smoke, respectively.  The melted thermostat garnered much attention.  The second and third encounters were more detailed and emotionally charged.  

Our task now, is to thoroughly examine all the contents. All assessments have rated the house as a "total loss". Exceptions include 1) the framing 2) the bricks 3) the porch 4) the sidewalk, 5) the patio and new retaining wall, 6) the garage and 7) the back yard bird feeders. The "Insides" are out.  Those contents will be inventoried by us and the companies and sorted into categories, with the following descriptions (customized for interest):

1.  Items that are too precious for sentimental reasons that the company should attempt to: clean, restore, repair.

2. Items that are too expensive for age and expensive reasons that the company should attempt to clean, restore, repair.

3. Items that are too damaged for the company to clean, restore, or repair, but we'd like enough cash to replace them..

4. Items that are too damaged to clean, restore, or repair, but we'd like more cash than the company is offering to replace them. 

At the end of a few weeks, we get to wave goodbye to the contents of the house, which will be a) carried away for cleaning, restroation or repair, or b) Hauled off in decorative dumptsters. 

Examples of items Stacey has "tagged" so far: Susie's crochet quilt, Granny's modern era 1950's blond wooden chest, and that's just in the master bedroom. 

Stacey has found only one object that caused unexpected tears.  "Laverne" is a doll given to her by her parents when she first arrived to live with them in London when she was 12.  She most resembles a 1920's "lady of the night", and has been Stacey's travelling companion for 58 years.  Right now, she's waiting patiently in a plastic trash bag, for someone to try to give her the most thorough bath she's ever had, and remove the fiberglass, soot and dirty water damage from her aging but beautiful face and orange yarn coiffure, if possible.

That's the McMackin's current agenda for leisure activities.  

Everyone has been, well, words don't come close. Those who know us best, instead of saying, "I'm so sorry...what do you need?", have said, "I'm so sorry, do you need.....here's an offer....", and the best that people are doing is listening and listening, and asking and being interested. That's what we need from you and are getting exponential quantities of.

The only ongoing need in the weeks to come (unless anyone cares to stop by, don a mask and gloves, and stomp around in piles of wood and fiberglass to put blue painter's tape to identify hidden treasures to rescue) will be for you to actually desire our company....especially at your house for takeout or homecooked meal, maybe accompanied by some adult beverages, ...or not.  The chance to relax in comfortable chairs, and, mostly chat.  Our schedule looks pretty open.  Please fill it, lol. 

Hope to maintain updates here.  Check in to get facts and features to save yourself having to text, phone or post with questions, before you invite us to dinner. Thanks.