SNAFU

Prepared ourselves for demolition today, but the city had not approved our permit before the 9 am scheduled start.  So we wait.

Waiting for something to happen has been the norm lately.  "How are things going?" a concerned friend will ask.  "We're just waiting for ____________" is our reply.  We are told that demolition will be tomorrow (Friday) at 8 am.  I am not holding my breath.

We went to the house today to pick up Brown Thunder.  Brown Thunder is my car, a 2000 Saturn with 121,000 miles on it.  It is burgundy in color, but I call it brown for obvious reasons.  I told my students that I prayed for two things in the days immediately following the explosion.  The first was a prayer of thanksgiving for our health and safety.  The second was that Brown Thunder was squashed by a beam or something in the garage.  God answers prayers as we need them and I guess He thought the first one was so important and needed that He could answer me "no" for the other one.  When we got to look at the house up close for the first time I walked slowly to the garage door not knowing what was on the other side.  I felt like a contestant on "Let's Make a Deal" who was being shown what was behind Door Number 2.  I looked behind the destroyed door and saw Brown Thunder in all its glory, like the Phoenix rising from the ashes.  Our restoration contractor has a sense of humor and said he would make the car the last thing he has removed from the house just in case the house collapses on its own.  He also told us that the car was backed out of the garage with the keys left in it and a sign with "FREE" written on it.  We laughed, but when I went to the car today the keys were in it and the doors unlocked.  Nobody wants Brown Thunder.

Long, busy weekend.

It's been a busy last few days since Thanksgiving. It was a great day where we ate our fill and then some, spent time with family, took a nap, and then had a snack.  It was a bit odd however - we did not get a to-go package from Mom as usual.  We just put it all in the fridge for later.  Next day turkey sandwiches are still pretty good wherever you eat them!

Friday was busy, I went to basketball practice in the AM.  It was good to be there again and see the boys and coaches.  I am a boys varsity assistant coach at Roncalli and have missed too much practice. I don't like missing school very much, I really don't like missing bball practice either. We were getting ready for our first game against Perry Meridian and it was good to try to get my mind off the house and help work to get our guys on track to beat the Falcons.  After practice I went to Mom and Dad's to get a turkey sandwich and have a piece of pecan pie (my Grandma's pie is unbelieveable).  I made a sandwich and a plate of sides and asked where the pie was.  Betsy told me that "Grandpa ate it for breakfast!" Thanks, Dad.  I can't get too mad though, he got up early and went to Long's Bakery and got me some apple fritters and yeast donuts for breakfast.  Long's makes the best donuts in the world.  If you think your local bakery is better, I will fight you.

After the leftover feast, Lori and I went to the house to see progress in the unloading ordeal.  We took the girls, too.  It may have not been the best idea as the workers were moving the basement out.  We did not want to go down and look at it - the smell of wet things was overpowering. Most of the things we had on shelves fell over from the explosion and what was stored on the floor floated in about 18" of what I called 'basement stew' for eight days. Nasty. Lori saw a box of Christmas ornaments that were soaked and that was hard for her (and me, too). We have tried to buy an ornament from everywhere we have traveled for the last 17 years or so and it looks like many of those are ruined.  That was tough to see.  We also saw some pictures and books from when our girls were small.  It was no fun to see them all wet and ruined.  We decided to leave and go to our friends' house down the street and visit.  They are wonderful and that lifted our spirits.  Thanks, Beth and Art.

Friday night was fun.  We took Mom and Dad to a local bar and pizza joint that was offering free pizza to residents of our neighborhood for the rest of the year.  We really like their pizza, so that was no real hardship to accept their offer.  Dad and I found that their beers were just as cold as last time we were there which was also no real hardship.  It was fun to be there as a family and also fun because there was no other customers there besides friends of the server and bartender.  It was a bit like the Christmas dinner scene in "A Christmas Story".  Molly wanted somone to sing "Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra" for us.

Saturday was - suprise - a busy day again!  Basketball walkthrough in the AM, then I had to shop quickly for a pair of pants to wear to the game.  The only pair I had were about two inches short.  I bought them earlier without trying them on. Totally a guy move that failed.  Had to settle for pants I hate (they are old man pants - polyester blend with a 'comfort waistband') as they were the only pair in my size where we were shopping.  Being six and a half feet tall it is often difficult to find 36" length pants.  Hustled home to get ready for the game.  The game was a good one, our boys gave a good effort but fell one point short.  I had to improvise many things as my 'basketball bag' is now in storage and felt a little off the entire game.  I am one of those people that have many superstitions and I was all out of sorts because I didn't have the 'right' clipboard, pencil, stopwatch, markers and stat sheets.  I hope breaking my superstitions did not cost us a couple missed shots...

Sunday Lori and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.  Another thing to be thankful for.  Lori is the straw that stirrs my drink - to paraphrase Reggie Jackson.  We went to the Colts game and watched them beat the Bills.  Our tickets came from a nice lady who drove in our neighborhood and wanted to give her two season tickets to someone who lived on our street.  We ended up being those people.  Before the game we met two other couples that live on either side of us for lunch.  One couple got their tickets from Colts punter, Pat McAfee.  Their house was next door to the one that exploded and they had to be rescued from the rubble. Pat made a point to contact them and gave Gloria his cell phone number to call him for the tickets.  From the beginning Pat McAfee tweeted about our neighborhood and challenged all of his followers to help out.  He has a reputation for being a bit out of control, but he has his head on straight 99% of the time.  We had lots of fun!

Self portraits are awkward.  Where do we look?

Monday was supposed to be D (for demolition) day.  Our contractor called to tell us on Sunday that it would be Tuesday instead.  Our house got a reprieve!  I went to school today - what a mess there.  I have a pile of sub work to grade now and more to come.  The ONLY THING the contractor couldn't find in my house was my black bag with my school laptop, gradebook, plan book, 3" stack of half-graded work, and last years plan book inside.  Needless to say, my students are happy to hear that!  Me? Not so much.  I hope some lowlife did not run into my front door-less house and take the bag that was probably sitting in the entry hall.  Maybe (s)he will keep the laptop, grade, record, and return the work inside.  Right.

Found out tonight that the city wants to hold the demolition permits as they are enforcing a delay for asbestos. Really? A ten-year-old house?  Anyway, they are concerned that all the heavy equipment will have to be in the neighborhood at the same time and there is only one way in and one way out.  I guess they want to avoid traffic.  D-Day is now slated for Thursday or Friday.  I am not holding my breath.

My neighbors still living in the neighborhood are talking about gawkers circling my street, taking pictures and knocking on doors to offer 'free insurance fraud protection'.  I am waiting for folks to swoop in and steal all the copper pipes and wiring from my house.  The news media are taking advantage of the lowered police presence to move their vans and trucks in the neighborhood and stick cameras in the faces of my neighbors as they get home from work or go outside to get the mail.  They ask "How is life after the explosion?" or "Who do you think was the person who caused the explosion?" or other such senseless malarkey.  I know they are doing their job but, dang, leave these good people alone!  They did not ask for and do not want this attention.  Nobody gave a dern about Richmond Hill on November 9.  These are the same people today. The only difference is that somebody decided it would be a good idea to blow up a house.  Now my neighbors are 'important' and have to be bothered and borderline harassed by the media.  Leave 'em alone! 

I guess there are still people reading this and may have some questions for me.  You can email me: patcrosley at gmail dot com or leave a comment and I'll try to have a "mailbag" post soon.  I will try to answer interesting questions.  Heck, ask me something about history if you want.  Is there something you want more info about? I have never done this blog thing before so all suggestions are welcome.  Thanks for reading this, I hope I don't ramble on too much...

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We have a lot to be thankful for.  Here is a list, and I have to say it is not comprehensive.

1. Our Guardian Angels who organized all of us to be where we were when the explosion happened.
2. God's gift of our health and safety.
3. The fact that we were not home at the time of the explosion - our girls have no memory of the events of that night.
4. The ease in which we have moved into my parents' house.  Mom, Dad, and my Grandma have opened their house to us and have changed their lives to accommodate us.  They are a bit 'displaced' as well as they have given up their bathroom and where they get ready in the morning for us.  
5. Finding Elvis!
6. The great chow we are getting!
7. The outpouring of love, support, prayers, offers of help, and countless other positive things from so many people.  Roncalli, Saint Jude, Verizon, family and friends, friends and family of our family and friends, and people we have never met who have been there for us in every imaginable way.
8. Our insurance agent and adjustor for understanding and quick help and answers to all of our questions.
9. The restoration company who has been respectful, polite, kind, and supportive as they remove our lives from our house.  I can't get over how great they have been.
10. The city of Indianapolis, from the Mayor on down.  IMPD, IFD, the Department of Code Enforcement have all been caring and genuinely empathetic of our situation.  They have made this crazy time more bearable.
11. Southport Presbyterian Church has been unbelievable.  They have been there since the beginning for all the needs of the neighborhood.  It is a place to go for someone to talk to, get a meal, get some supplies, or just to see a smiling face that will listen to you and cry with you.  They are wonderful people.  They are truly a sign of God for many.
12. Saint Barnabas' 56A girls' basketball team.  Betsy goes to Saint Jude and their biggest rival are the Warriors from St. B. I am a proud graduate of St. Barnabas and know the rivalry well. ( I still struggle to wear red and gold for St. Jude) Betsy played St. B in a city tournament game and in true CYO fashion the girls from the team and the entire sixth grade at St. B gave her a basket of things a sixth grade girl loves.  What a great gesture.  They weren't so nice on the court though, as they beat the Raiders in the game.  What a great group of girls and parents.  Many of these girls will go to high  school with Betsy. Here's a great picture:                    
13. Molly plays softball for a travel team based out of Center Grove.  The coach of the team came over last night with a card and a gift for her and our family.  They also have arranged to get her new uniforms to replace the ones she may have lost.  We are relatively new to the Center Grove softball organization and the manner in which they have supported Molly is wonderful.
14. I love my Roncalli family.

Watching the house get emptied

Today we watched ten people pick up, wrap, box, and carry out pretty much everything we own.  We will continue tomorrow.  Bag after bag, box after box walked out of our house.  We could not see what was in the boxes, but they were labeled "office", "girls room", living room", etc.  We saw workers throw more drywall and ceiling than I thought was in the house out of my bedroom window.  There were two dumpsters full of debris evidence from the house that exploded in my yard and driveway.  We watched as workers nailed shoring walls into the floor of our kitchen, bedroom, and living room.  I saw the house we called home for 10 years and less than a month emptied of all we have.  It looks as if a giant took my house off its foundation, shook it and then slammed it back down.  I saw the house Lori and I chose, decorated and filled with things we love look like it was located in 1944 France.  It was horrible.

I've been asked about my thoughts on the change in the investigation to criminal homicide.  I was sad that it now turns out that my neighbors were murdered.  Now I am angry that someone thought that lighting a gas leak was a good idea.  I don't know motive, I do know result.  The result is horrible for so many reasons - there is no way that the person(s) responsible should not be held to the highest level of culpability.  I have great faith in our police and fire investigators.  I saw them in action, live and up close.  They are professional and very dedicated to getting it right.  I know that whoever they charge with this has a lot of evidence against them.  Justice will be done.  I was thinking about this a great deal while I was watching the men and women empty my destroyed house.  A house I loved that was destroyed by someone who did it on purpose.

We got pictures of the inside of the house.  Here they are:

 

This is our kitchen/dining area.    All of the cupboards on the south wall opened and the dishes fell out.  Broken glass and bottles of spices and other food items are all over the floor.  The counters detached from the wall as did the wall from the floor.  I was told that if you look down you could see into the basement.  The new window was created by pieces of the roof that came from the exploded house.  I was told the pieces tore through the wall and snapped the studs like toothpicks.  I told Lori that we should have made a window on that wall because the natural light made the room look brighter and bigger.

 

This is the master bathroom.  The wall has pulled away from the tub and the shower.  The new skylight adds to the bathroom's atmosphere.

Our bedroom.  The wall is eight to ten inches away from the floor.  I'm told you can see outside where the floor meets the wall.  Not sure if the bed was moved away from the wall or the explosion moved it.  There is a foot of insulation on the floor and the ceiling does not exist any more.  The firemen told me that the ceiling was on the bed.

I don't have pictures of the girls' rooms, but I am told that theirs are not any different.  We were told that a lot is broken.  We were able to get all of Molly's One Direction posters.  She was happy and will kill me when she sees that I mentioned this...  If you don't know who One Direction is, check this out and then come back. 

If you don't understand their allure, I am with you.

The people unloading our house are so wonderful.  They are cautious, courteous, respectful and patient.  They are wrapping and carefully boxing ALL of my junk in the office.  I get one room in the house to put all of my stuff and it is the office upstairs.  I have taken advantage of that and filled it with tons of wonderful things. (Well, I think they are)  I have 530325 books and random things in that room.  I do not envy them that job.  They are great.

Tomorrow we are to look at the things being removed from the basement.  There was 2 feet of water there for about 8 days and the things in the basement have to be in poor shape.  Not looking forward to that at all.  I hope the beer can collection from my youth makes it out.

Monday is D-Day.  D for demolition.  Not sure how I feel about that.  It doesn't matter how I feel because the house is coming down whether I want it to or not.  The city emailed me the demolition order today.  No appeal.  When it's gone, I am not sure what to do.  We have decisions to make.  Rebuild? Build somewhere else? Buy an existing house?  We have talked briefly about it, but made no decision yet.  Pros and cons exist for all three options.  Another thing on our mind.

Something else on my mind is the amount of school I have missed.  My students tell me it's ok, but I know they are tired of substitutes.  I have missed five of the last seven days of class.  I miss the interaction and seeing them.  They are such great kids and so fun to be around.  Hopefully after Monday I will be back for good.  It is really hard for me to miss school.  My reasons for missing are important and we have to take care of things and find a place for us to live.  That has to be my priority.  It is, and will be, but it still bothers me to miss school.

We will see what tomorrow brings at the house.  Not too excited to look at the basement remains.  Every thing I see that is ruined will make me mad.  I know my losses are nothing compared to my neighbors.  Absolutely nothing. But when I see our wedding china and the Waterford crystal we have bought and been given broken I get angry.  I know it's all stuff and can be replaced, but that isn't the point.  All of that "stuff" was broken by a selfish person who decided to open a gas line.  It didn't have to be.  To me it is just like if someone chooses to come into my house and begin to break things and tear things up.  I would be angry then, too.  Both are choices someone made to destroy things.  Choices have consequences.

 

Elvis has reappeared!

He was hiding behind my daughter's bed for the last 9 days.  He's a bit hungry and thirsty, but overall he is healthy.  Saints Francis and Anthony came through!!

Update...

The engineer and his people are in the house putting up walls to shore it up.  They are looking for Elvis right now.  Saint Francis, Saint Anthony, Pray For Us.

Random thoughts one week later...

The Indianapolis Star had a great story on the front page of its Sunday edition.  It was very well done.

I looked at the stats for this site and noticed that there has been over 3000 page views.  I started this to put some thoughts down and give some info to folks.  3000 views? Talk about pressure.  I better bring my "A" game.

Living at Mom and Dad's has been great.  We are living like kings.  Some things are hard, though.  I forget that I don't live on Fieldfare any more.  I have turned toward our house many times this week and had to turn around or go out of the way to get to my parents' house.  First it was funny, then it became annoying, now it makes me sad.

We found that the insurance company has agreed to demo the house.  Never thought I would be happy to hear that my house will be bulldozed.  Now we are waiting for the city to allow the engineer to go in and build walls to support the roof.  When the roof is supported then the restoration company can get in and get our stuff.  It seems that the city is using my front yard to pile debris that they are searching for parts of the gas appliances from my neighbor's house.  We have to wait until they are finished there before the house is released.  Initially I was angry that they used MY front yard to pile the junk they are sifting without my permission and then I realized that it didn't really matter.  That was one more event to remind me that I was never going to live in that house again.

Last night I went to my 25th high school class reunion.  It was a lot of fun.  One of my classmates was in my neighborhood fighting the fires and searching houses.  His station is at White River Parkway and Kentucky Avenue.  That is quite a trip for them.  We have talked to so many firefighters that were in our neighborhood.  I am convinced that those guys kept my house from burning and stopped the fire in my neighbor's house so he could retrieve his dad's Purple Heart and flag along with picture albums.  Saturday, their cat was found behind a couch!

That reminds me of Elvis.  He is still missing.  Every day we can't get anyone in to the house makes it tougher for him.  I am sure he is hiding somewhere.  I wish someone could go in and look behind couches and under the beds for him.  We are still holding out hope that he will peek out and be found.  He is really an annoying cat - anytime I am reading or watching TV he wants to lay on me and put his face in mine and demand attention.  That is annoying because I usually would rather read or do whatever I was doing instead of scratching his head.  Right now I wouldn't mind being annoyed.

We continue to receive offers of help for anything and everything.  We've been able to divert some of it to others, but it still comes in.  It is humbling and makes us realize our blessings.

There is a private Facebook page for Richmond Hill residents.  (by the way, it is Richmond Hill not HillS, Lori says we could only afford one hill so that is why it's singular)  That page has been a place for us to share stories, information, vent, complain, and everything else.  It was begun before the explosion and has been wonderful for us to keep in touch as we are all spread out.  I am glad it exists and I think it's been good to help the community to stick together.

One hard thing for me personally is to sit here and watch my beloved Steelers play the hated Ravens without any of my Steelers gear.  It is all in my closet, exposed to the elements.  I am missing my Mean Joe Greene jersey something fierce.  I am wearing a black hoodie instead, that's all I can do.  LOVE the Steelers' throwback uniforms.  Horizontal stripes are not slimming, Casey Hampton.

After the first week we are essentially in the same situation.  We are not living in our home.  We have things in the house that we still can't get.  We are not sure when we will be able to get to our stuff.  Elvis is still hiding.  We are healthy. We are happy.  We are blessed.  This will be a pretty special Thanksgiving.

Part Two...

   When we woke up on Sunday the first thing we did was turn on the TV for news and saw what our house looked like.  Wow.  This is what we saw:

 

Needless to say, we were amazed. That south wall is our upstairs bedroom, bath, and closet. The firefighters we talked to were right. Our house IS jacked up.

We had our friends Heather and Kipp Cox drop off our girls to my parents' house and then took Betsy to do what we like to do. We watched her play basketball.

We were tired, wearing the same clothes, Betsy had borrowed shoes, uniform, socks and headband.  It didn't matter - we were together and watching the Raiders win. And, by the way, that picture was Betsy making a free throw to complete a three-point play.

After the win we went to Southport Presbyterian to get info.  We heard from the Director of Public Safety, the IMPD and IFD, Representative Andre Carson, the City-County Council, and the Department of Code Enforcement (DCE).  Lots of great information.  We also learned that the DCE had determined that our house was to be demolished and we were not allowed in to get anything because it was too dangerous.  That was interesting.  The DCE also told us that it could be possible to shore up the walls enough to send pros in to get out much of the stuff.  That was better. This is where we are today, Thursday, in terms of access to our stuff.  Maybe.  That is what has been most difficult.  Our things are there, but inaccessible with some confidence we can get them out. 

Since Sunday we have see the house three times. Once through the niceness of IMPD who drove us to the house in a four-wheel-drive golf card type thing to about 50 feet from the house with specific instructions that we are not to get out.  The next time we met DCE, our insurance adjustor and the restoration man to get a close look. Here is what we saw:

Jacked up.  The resoration man went in to look for our cat, Elvis.  He did not show himself.  We left with a few things found on the bottom floor: girls' backpacks (which made Molly happy as she was worried about homework - she is not like me in that regard), a few jackets, Betsy's gym bag and a few pictures.

The third time was Wednesday after an interview with IFD arson investigators and the ATF.  The director of Indiana Homeland Security himself gave the regal nod allowing us to walk down our street to look at our house again and call for Elvis.  He is still hiding.

The girls went back to school Monday and Lori and I have been running 8472056 errands and completing tasks.  I went back to school Wednesday and talked to all of my wonderful students and Roncalli Family.  It was great to see everyone, but physically exhausting.  I have not slept well and have developed a cold which has taken my voice away and given me a headache.  Talking to everyone took all my energy.  I am not in school today (Thursday).  I slept in and have not spoken to anyone outside the family all day.  I feel better and look forward to taking my girls out to dinner with some great friends tonight.

People have asked so many times, "How are you getting along?"  My response is always "pretty good, we are blessed".  I truly believe that after I talk to my neighbors who have their own struggles big and small.  We have a great place to stay, it is our second home.  We have the greatest friends and family possible.  This includes our Roncalli and Saint Jude families.  There have been offers for every possible favor, task, or need that we may have.  We are absolutely in shock and amazement over the amount of love, prayers, support, and offers of help we have received.

Right now, we are waiting for the DCE and our insurance to determine if our house is to be destroyed or not.  There seems to be a difference of opinion.  We are in a sort of limbo because we don't know if we will get anything out of the house at all.  I have heard that there was talk of bulldozing the house with everything in it.  I have also heard that our house has "cosmetic damage" and can be repaired and everything in between these extremes.

So we wait. 






Part One.

     Lori and I left our house for the last time in a rush, late for another event.  We were going to the Saint Jude Reverse Raffle and had to be at the Atrium at 5:45.  We told the girls they would be picked up soon and to have fun.  We jumped in the van and sped away.

     The reverse raffle was fun, but we had absolutely no luck. We were among the last called to eat and there was no food left.  Our name was drawn from the main raffle very early.  We had the tickets farthest away from the 50/50 numbers drawn each time.  We lost every raffle we entered and every pull-tab we bought.  We lost Left-Right-Center.  We did have fun with the people there and were thinking about leaving about 11:15 when our friend told us that she had a call that we needed to get home immediately because there had been a serious accident in our neighborhood.

     We left confused and a lot scared.  We heard a plane crashed or something in the neighborhood.  Our girls were safe but we were worried about others and the house.  As we drove south on Sherman we saw flashing lights behind us.  Lori followed behind a police car and it could be said she broke the speed limit.  When we got to Stop 11 Road we could see flames above all the trees and houses in the middle of the neighborhood right where our house is.  That was unbelievable.

     The entrance to our neighborhood was blocked with every type of emergency vehicle.  We stood outside on Sherman Drive and watched Hell on earth.  We learned that the house two doors south had exploded completely.  Our neighbors began to trickle out and we reassured each other and cried a lot.  We heard the stories they had.  Lori and I stood there until about 3:30 because we did not know what to do.  Police and firefighters told us that our house was not burned but "pretty messed up".  One neighbor who is a firefighter not on duty told me he was in my house and apologized for getting mud on my bedspread when he was kicking the ceiling off to see if Lori and I were there.  I asked him if he checked the basement.  He told me he had and I asked if he cleaned it up for me because I had it pretty unorganized there.  We had to laugh to avoid crying.  As the last fire engine left, the driver slowed an yelled out the window, "Hey Pat, I'll call you later!"  It was my cousin Shannon Bosley in Engine 15.  He later told me he and his guys went thorough all the houses around the explosion and saw Roncalli and Saint Jude things in one house and then saw our name on the wall and went through two more times.  He said in 13 years as a firefighter he had never seen anything like the scene there.  Another told me earlier that he worked the last three big tornadoes in Indiana and they were nothing compared to this.

     Lori and I decided to leave because we could not get in at all.  We went to Mary Bryan Elementary and checked in.  The gym there was already filling with donated items.  What a scene.  The Red Cross told us to call a number later in the morning for information.  We left and went to my parents' house.  Sitting there we tried to make sense of the day.  We had talked to our girls; they were getting dozens of texts and calls to see about their safety and ours.  I posted on Facebook and Twitter that we all were safe.  Social media was great to get that information out and very crucial to letting people know we were safe. 

     After about one or two hours of sleep we woke up and put the same clothes on to see what was happening.  

End of Part One.

First post

Hi all.  Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for our neighborhood during this crazy time.  I will be posting a summary of what is happening to date, check back later today for the post when I get it written.

Pat