Saturday, August 22, 2020

A Genealogy Go Bag

 

My husband, ever the comedian, likes to corral the family—something akin to herding cats—and at the point when we should have left for a trip, quip, "Let's make like a baby and head out."

While it isn't quite as funny now, residents in our area received a message recently, advising much the same thing: park your vehicle in the driveway with the nose facing outward. And pack your go-bag.

Granted, the northern boundary of the wildfire raging nearby is still forty miles removed from us—as the wind blows, I might add—but the prudent heed warnings like that. Yesterday was our moment to make arrangements for what, hopefully, will be an unlikely scenario.

I did a lot of thinking about what might go in a go-bag. After all, my baggage has always included a lot of history. Perhaps that is a luxury of first-world life. Maybe not the kind to make the cut in more dire turns of events. But fire being fire, once it meets history, no matter how old or how irreplaceable, history doesn't win.

One of my husband's Facebook acquaintances happens to be a veterinarian, and, vets being vets, she dearly cares for our fuzzy four-footed companions. She happened to post a recommendation for items to include in this fire season's go-bag. Among her suggestions for preparation were the expected tasks: fill up your gas tank, keep enough of your prescription medications on hand for up to a week's supply, bring bottled water. Food, paper supplies, blankets, clothing. Logical supply choices got rounded out with the ultimate Boy Scout preparedness list of first aid materials, flashlights with extra batteries, and more. And stuff for those beloved pets.

That's when I got to thinking about those other aspects of daily life. Some people care for pets, some engage in what is supposedly America's number one hobby: gardening. But what about those of us who have that other popular hobby? We've amassed a collection of documents, photographs and heirlooms in remembrance of our ancestors. Sure, much of that is now digitized and stored online, but what of the tangible treasures passed down through generations for our safekeeping?

If you had to bolt out your front door at a moment's notice—well, other than that incessant early-warning smoke we've experienced since Wednesday—what else would you bring besides supplies to get you through the next seven days? Would any of it represent your heritage? If you had the time to think things out more clearly before that moment to head out, would something come to mind which absolutely needed to be preserved from past generations?

A hard question to consider, especially realizing the possibility that, upon your return, the legacy bequeathed to you might no longer be available to pass along to the next generation.

10 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thank you, Miss Merry! While the fires are, for the most part, in wilderness areas in the coastal mountains and hills stretching toward the Central Valley, the edges are breaking out into populated areas, such as Santa Cruz (for the same fire reaching inland to us) and Fairfield and Vacaville (for an entirely different complex of fires). End result is a widespread impact felt throughout northern California.

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  2. Prayers for you and your family and friends in danger. My daughter arrives from Santa Cruz today with two boys, 3 cats and a fish, and a van filled with stuff.

    I have used your blog post as a prompt for Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - hope you don't mind. Maybe my readers will have ideas for all of us.

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    1. Thanks for the prayers, Randy, and likewise for your family! I had noticed your posts about Santa Cruz. One of our genealogical society members has a son in Santa Cruz area, as well, who arrived here earlier this week. This is a most difficult time.

      Yes, please do use that topic for your Saturday Night Genealogy Fun tonight. With fires threatening on the West Coast and hurricanes building up in the South, I'm curious to see what people suggest. It's a sobering consideration, but at least something that, done ahead of time, will make it more possible to preserve what's most important--though, in the bigger picture, personal safety always comes first. I just can't erase from mind the videos from the Paradise and Santa Rosa Fires and how some people barely made it out, through the flames, with their lives...

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  3. This is a timely post and something my husband and I spoke about last night. Most things can be replaced (no not--many of us have too much stuff), but our lives are more important! I answered Randy's challenge: https://mytrailsintothepast.blogspot.com/2020/08/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-your.html. It's a start.

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    1. Lisa, I'm sure the threat is fairly close to you, so I'm sure your discussion last night dealt with the reality of that closeness. You and I both know people who have already been evacuated--or possibly even those who have already lost their home.

      I know Randy set the parameters at 15 minutes to decide, but this is an exercise to do in reality now, for a possibility which can happen in the next few days. Thanks for taking up Randy's challenge and writing about it! It's a plan I hope we never have to put into action, but it's so important to be prepared.

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  4. Hi Jacqi, Hope you are safe from the fire. I remember a couple of big fires in Rancho Cucamonga when I lived there. The one that got closest to our house was in the water channel behind the house across the street, burning the weeds that had grown in it. I participated in Randy's SNGF. Here's my link: https://emptybranchesonthefamilytree.com/2020/08/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-105/

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    1. Thanks for including the link, Linda. Wow, you have some hefty items to preserve!

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  5. I hope you all are staying safe, Jacqi! This topic has been on my mind, as well, and actually was the inspiration for this month's Genealogy Blog Party. I hope we never have to grab that Go Bag and go, but it's certainly better to be safe than sorry - hopefully our descendants will appreciate the effort!

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    1. I saw that, Elizabeth, and hope your Party participants come up with some helpful suggestions. We are still staying safe, though with the newest fire just outside Santa Rosa, we are back in the smoke once again--another reminder to always stay ready. I hope you and yours are far, far away from any fire dangers.

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