There Are Such Things As Angels

Yesterday, Mother Nature was a bitch. As you fine, five readers know, we have been dealing with a wildfire just north of us. The local first responders have been valiantly fighting to get it under control, but it wasn’t cooperating.

But in a strange way, you become use to its presence, just hanging around on your horizon.

You go about your business, taking care of your daily needs. My focus was on Blue. Oddly enough it was a needed distraction.

I was able to reach the Vet first thing and she placed the new order for an extensive tick-borne disease panel that covers Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and then as a prophylactic measure, ordered the antibiotics and prednisone to combat all possibilities while we waited for the new and outstanding blood tests to come back.

We gave Blue the drugs and within an hour saw changes. The bleeding slowed and she started to regain her vision. As of this morning she is pretty much back to her old self. Now it may turn out that this is a temporary recovery, and the blood tests may come back as negative for RMSF, but I’m going to take all wins and run with them until I can’t.

To remind me that the Universe has its own plans for us, yesterday afternoon, the original fire in my northwest was joined by a new cousin, just east of us.

This sucker was closer. I could see it from my back property.

This one was much harder to ignore, as it grew very quickly.

Now I do not have any material attachment to the things in my home. I came into this world without them, I’ll probably leave the same way.

I packed a pair of jeans and my newest pair of Birks, a t shirt a few pairs of underwear, and one sweatshirt and pair of socks.

I also packed my guns and ammo – so they wouldn’t explode if the fire reached Casa Claire. One of the houses in the back caught fire a few years ago and the exploding munitions kept the firefighters at bay for hours. I also grabbed my portable hard drive and my laptop.

But I care deeply for the family, blood and fur, that inhabit Casa Claire. I knew that Luke and Georgie would have the kids ready to evacuate at a moments notice – their bags were packed in the front hall – and Lisa had Blue all ready to go, but I had no idea what I was going to do with Claire and Honey.

When I started seeing full horse carriers fleeing from the neighborhood (I don’t have one), I felt like the band member playing on the deck of the Titanic. If I couldn’t get the mules out, I knew I would stay with them to the end. Not out of any sense of nobility, but I knew I would never leave them.

I cannot tell you the terror I was feeling at that idea. My stomach was one giant knot, and I knew I was having trouble breathing. I wrote that off to the smoke in our air, but I knew it was something else.

For the first time since arriving at Casa Claire, I felt what can only be described as despair.

I hopped in the car and drove around the estates to check on how many horses and occupants were still here.

When I passed the McQueen property – the young family who formed the basis for the family where the character Lucian comes from in The Claire Saga – I spotted Lynn McQueen packing things up. So, I pulled over to chat with him, and pick his brains.

I must have had the look of terror in my eyes, because the first thing he said was “If you need to move the mules, I can help you.”

I almost burst into tears at the generosity of this good man.

He gave me his number and told me to text him.

I went back feeling like I had just gotten the reprieve call from the Governor.

I went out back and corralled Claire and Honey in the South paddock, then got their halters on them.

They didn’t put me through their normal shenanigans. No ringolevio. It was if they knew.

I got a text from Lenay McQueen (Lynn’s wife), telling me that she could be by in 20 minutes, and could move Claire and Honey to a friends place in Mead a few towns away and on the far side of 287 – which provides a nice land barrier to the fire.

But the text itself says all you need to know about Lenay McQueen.

When I saw the truck and horse trailer appear, I again almost cried.

Then this family of angels dressed as Cowgirls exited the truck.

Lenay is the blonde woman off my left shoulder with the beautiful smiling eyes in the above photo. Her daughters, Moriah and Mattea are the equally stunning blond and brunette on the far right of the photo.

The attractive shorter woman and the cloned young lady above her are Danielle LaRue and her daughter Gianna. They are also cowgirl angels in form and spirit. But I will get to them.

So, these confident McQueen women hop out of the truck and follow me back to where Claire and Honey are tied to the fence. Moriah, who just finished her freshman year at Texas Tech, is an accomplished show riding horse woman. Her younger sister, Mattea, still in high school, is equally adept. And of course, Lenay knows her way around all kinds of animals. The mules responded like they knew them forever, and were calmly led to the carrier, where they patiently and cooperatively then stepped up a couple of feet and entered the huge horse carrier like they were the last two mules entering Noah’s Ark.

I still had no idea where we were going, and after tossing a bail of hay into the bed of the truck, a packed lunch, hopped into the truck with the women.

For the next twenty minutes we caught up about family, homes and the estate. I loved listening to the sweet sounds of their voices – no Bronx accents in this family. I could also tell that an evil word never crossed any of their lips. I used to meet Lenay’s father – a wonderful retired minister – on my rounds and I knew that his legacy was destined for innate goodness. We talked about the approaching fires and all hoped for the best. They had already moved their horses – two of the ones I visit every morning on my rounds, and the remaining family members were preparing the lama, sheep and turkeys back on their homestead for evacuation.

Anyway, after driving quite a distance, we arrived at the LaRue farm in Mead.

The LaRue women – Gianna and Danielle – were waiting at the gate. We drove to where there were a few large corrals, most already with horses in them.

The girls got out and saw to disembarking the mules. I was amazed as Moriah got Claire to step out and off the edge off the back of the trailer – backwards and blindly – without any effort. Claire placed her blind and complete faith in this young lady. Honey was a champ as well. Who were these Mules?

I gave Gianna the biggest hug out of pure gratitude.

She also refused any offer of compensation for the temporary boarding. She had the girls release Claire and Honey into this huge paddock with a lean to. The mules didn’t even look back at me. They explored their new digs and rolled on the ground in pure ecstasy. I have to admit, I was a tad bit disappointed in their lack of the least sign of separation anxiety. I felt like a first timer dropping their kids off at summer camp.

Anyway, it turns out that the LaRues and McQueens are long time friends from the NoCo 4 H circuit. I will tell you, that I have never met such a wonderful, selfless group of people.

I mean, they did not think twice about helping this complete stranger.

But it was getting dark, so I snapped a final photo of Claire and Honey off in the distance completely ignoring me,

and then the above selfie group shot, and after warm hugs all around, we all hopped back into the truck and returned to Berthoud.

The trip back was as conversationally delightful as the trip to Mead – I only wish I had some extra sons to marry off to these young ladies – but when we got closer to home, the extent of the fires was sobering.

But the mules were safe, and the family members were prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. So, for the first time in a few days, I released a long sigh of relief as they dropped me back at Casa Claire.

I took one last look at the approaching fire line from one of the fires in the north,

said a quick prayer (always a BIC) and went to bed.

I know I only half slept, and Lisa kept getting up all night and checking on the fires, but when the morning came, I was blessed to find that Casa Claire and the Berthoud Estates neighborhood was still untouched.

I then got this text from Gianna.

These women and their families gave Clarence the Angel from It’s A Wonderful Life a run for his money, and I will never forget it.

But now I must see to where we are at with these fires. Hopefully I will get back to the LaRue ranch and drop off some inscribed books and see if Claire and Honey recognize me – damn, I am so needy.

But one final shout out to the McQueens and LaRues and all of the other good neighbors who have stepped up over these past few days and helped all of those desperate people, like me, who needed a hand. They are true Samaritans.

NoCo is truly God’s country.

You fine five readers count your blessings.

And if you get the opportunity, help anyone who needs it.

Trust me, you can change their life.

Now I’m going to go out and cuddle those kitties. No rounds today because most of the regulars are evacuated.

But no matter what else we get up to, let us all make today a great one.