First off, the winners of the blog giveaways:
Jacky, I'll be sending you Botanical Silhouettes. I have your address and will get them in the mail before the week is out.
Donna C., I need your address so I can send you the Papertrey Ink Thank You set. Please email me with the information: karen@walkermediadotnet
Rinda, later tonight you should find an Amazon gift certificate in your inbox.
Once again, thanks for coming to the blog to visit, and especially, for the kind comments and support I've gotten over the last few years. I've really enjoyed getting to know you!
And now for the sad news . . .Tracy's mother and stepfather have operated a wildly successful bed and breakfast for the last 20 years. They renovated their beautiful home where Tracy and his four siblings grew up. Yesterday they suffered a terrible tragedy. About noon, a neighbor saw smoke pouring out of the roof and called 911. Then the neighbors contacted Tracy's sister since his mom and Bill are in Florida for several months. By the time Tracy and Jill arrived it was clear this was a major fire.
The cause is still unknown, and thankfully, no one was hurt. The damage was extensive. The roof and entire third floor (where there was a lovely suite of rooms) are totally gone. Most of the rest of the house received extensive smoke and water damage. Tracy's mom and stepdad are handling it remarkably well. We are so grateful they were safe in Florida when this happened as well as to the fire department of Rochester who worked for nearly seven hours to be sure the fire was extinguished. Today when Tracy and his siblings walked through the house, they were immediately aware of the care the firemen took to protect as many of the antiques and valuables as they could. We really don't know what can be salvaged. It's another reminder for me to live each day to the fullest, and to count my blessings which are many.
