This is the hardest post I have ever had to write. As the title implies, it has been a year in the making. I have debated with myself the entire time as to whether or not I even wanted to write it, but since today marks the one year anniversary of the start of the Tubbs Fire, I couldn't think of a better time to write it. Because I like to keep my blog more lighthearted, I'm not going to delve deep into the intense emotional stuff. One year later, I don't know if I have it in me yet to bring all those raw emotions back to the surface, let alone on my safe, comfortable place. In my lifetime, I've been through what I consider to be more than my fair share of natural disasters. Having lived on both coasts, I have experienced a few earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes, but nothing could have prepared me for that fateful night. This post is just a sliver of that story, as told through my love of nail lacquer.
October 8, 2017 started out like any other Sunday, and looking back now, I couldn't tell you a single thing I actually did that day. My husband was home, and we probably slept in as late as the kids would allow, and we most likely enjoyed a family breakfast and a trip to our local farmer's market in the morning. For lack of a better word, it was a "normal" day for us that might have included errands, gardening, or even just a lazy Sunday around the house. My husband had gone to bed earlier than I did, but that is a relatively common occurrence as I like the evening quiet to work on blog content. The only feature of the day that still sticks with me, and likely would not have if it weren't for the events that unfolded afterwards, was the intense wind. As I worked on my laptop in my living room that night while all my guys were sleeping, I recall the sound of the wind whipping around the house. At about 10pm, I heard a siren and noticed it mentioned in one of my local Facebook groups that a small fire had supposedly started near our Walmart. I was confident it would be resolved quickly and didn't give it a second thought. What I did not know at that time was a fire had started about 20 miles from my home at 9:45pm, and I would learn of the devastation it cause to my community in the morning.
When I got up at about 7am on Monday, October 9th, I knew right away something was wrong. Upon opening the windows like I normally would first thing in the morning, a whiff of smoke-laden air hit me hard. My kids were up and clamoring for breakfast, and that became my first task of the morning. By the time they settled down to scarf up their food, the sun was up and the sky a sickly orange hue. I was finally able to hop on my computer and discovered the news. The Tubbs fire had run from Calistoga and into Santa Rosa, destroying neighborhoods and areas I used to live or would visit with some frequency. This was just one of the 250 wildfires that had started in October, which would later be referred to as the Northern California firestorm.
If you're a member of any of the hundreds of nail polish-related Facebook groups for a length of time, you likely have seen a question like this, or some variation thereof: if your house was burning, what 5 nail polishes would you save? Thankfully, my home was not destroyed by the Tubbs fire, but my family did pack up essentials in our vehicle so we could evacuate on a moment's notice. Having been in this position, I can tell you that nail polish was the furthest thing from my mind. It was actually on Day 3 of the fire threat that my husband suggested I might want to collect a few bottles just in case things took a turn for the worst for us. Only three months prior, I brought home a Color Clutch, a handy container that safely houses and transports 14 polish bottles. I opted to fill it and selected from one of my melmer drawers that contains exclusive nail polishes I would have a difficult time replacing. I spent less than 10 minutes picking out my bottles, largely in part because my heart wasn't with polish at the time. I was far more focused on watching the fire's progress and keeping my boys safe. In the end, these are the 14 nail lacquers I selected.
Finger Lickin Lacquer (now Bohemian Polish) - A Most Uncommon Elevator
Pipe Dream Polish- Pumpkin Spice Girl
Smitten Polish (now Dreamland Lacquer) - Bengal Tiger
Girly Bits Cosmetics - A Kiss on the Chic
Fair Maiden Polish - Stars in Your Eyes
Joy B - Paramecium (a custom created for me by a sweet friend)
Literary Laquers - Salt and Sweetness
Top Shelf Lacquer - Fireball
Nvr Enuff Polish - Prototype from 1.16.16
KBShimmer - Plums The Word
Squishy Face Polish - Anaheim
Girly Bits Cosmetics - Hot! Hot! Hot!
Bliss Polish - Something Wicked
Lavish Polish - SCLA
It is impossible to have lived in this community and not somehow been impacted by the Tubbs fire. The Tubbs fire alone incinerated over 5,600 structures, including approximately 2,900 homes. Unless you were new to the area, you knew at least one person that had lost a home or their place of employment, or you yourself frequented an area impacted. I consider myself fortunate that my home remained unscathed, but my mind and my heart, on the other hand, still feels a strong sense of sadness and anxiety every time I drive my the neighborhoods that were most affected. We have been rebuilding, but the rate of which it is happening is slow. Many that lost their homes were painfully underinsured and cannot afford to have their homes rebuilt. I do truly believe that we can and will continue to rebuild our community, but I suspect it will be another couple of years before things are more normal. One year later, I still panic just a little every time I see a Nixle alert, the emergency alert system utilized in my area to notify subscribers of red flag conditions, fires, like the one less than a quarter of a mile from my house this summer, or other important activities.
I suppose the nail polish-related question you may have for me at this point is would I choose these same 14 polishes all over again? I've given this question some thought, and while I don't think I would regret these picks, I don't think I would pick all 14 of them again. Paramecium holds such sentimental value to me (not to mention the colour is lovely) so I know that is one I would save, but the other 13 nail lacquers would likely change. There would definitely be a lot of the same brands still in my Color Clutch, although the specific shades themselves would be altered.
Last week, I finally unpacked my Color Clutch. I'm still sorting through my full nail polish stash to pick out my official "must haves" now that I am in a clearer frame of mind. I have also picked up a second Color Clutch as the unit is such a convenient way to house my final selections once they are made. I just hope that I am never again in the position of potentially having to grab for them during an emergency situation.
For the local followers I know pop in on my blog on occasion: we're still here and going one year out. We are #SonomaCountyStrong.
Thank you so much for reading, and until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful evening.
XO!
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