I’m overjoyed today after being so stressed out over the rebuild. It’s heartening to see my home look more like a house from the street and when I’m standing within the house. Most of the (first layer) roof is now installed. Not seeing the sky for the first time in months gives me huge comfort. I thought it was cute to see hills and tall trees from inside my house, but that got old fast. Now I feel like I can sense what having my home back will feel like as it’s so much easier to imagine a future there. Having this facade of a shelter did so much for my psyche today. We also noticed that the area where the fire first started has numerous replaced beams.

The largest remaining roof opening is the area where the remaining beams need some replacement. By and large, most of the existing trusses were able to be used. I am still having nightmares about fire and other tragedies, which have spiked in recent weeks, perhaps because of the stress of the election. Still, it’s nice to know that there is a substantive countdown in my near future beyond the one for this country and the world. The picture from outside the front gate is courtesy of wonderful neighbor Larry Miller who informed me of this huge step forward.