Repopulation

So today our evacuee friend got the all clear to return to her condo. (Return = repopulation.)Luckily the fire stayed north of her place, and she said that the air wasn't nearly as bad as it was during the 2003 fires.
She and I went over to the Stadium this morning to volunteer, but we only ended up picking up some trash before returning home, since there were excesses of volunteers.
The procedure was pretty efficient. Volunteers signed in under one canopy (yesterday JK got an armband, today they had none) and then went over to a young man with a microphone and a clipboard. He asked those nearest for their names and lumped them into numbered groups. Then you were supposed to "get to know the others in your group" until your number was called. It appeared that people manning various stations would call someone else who would come to the volunteer area and tell the microphone guy how many people they needed, and then you were called by group and sent somewhere. Our group was small - only 4. "Art" had to have one of his friends take his shift at the pizza place where he works in order to volunteer, so he was eager "to do something good." I hope he found an activity that fulfilled his expectations. "Cathy" seemed a bit flaky, but eager, and after we got the trash bags I lost track of her.
There were cots set up on the outer rings of the stadium, and we saw all sort of helpful things for the evacuees - face-painting and game zones set up for kids in multiple areas, a message center, insurance companies had tents set up repleat with computers and printers, free massages were being offered, plenty of food (all sorts of beverages, Krispy Kreme donuts, fruit, etc.), and JK said that he saw they were showing movies on the screens inside. (I didn't actually make it to the interior of the stadium.) There were some tents set up in the parking lot, and on a big field behind Ikea and the stadium were horses and dogs and shade tents.
Which reminds me, supposedly at UCSD's graduate housing where we used to live there are 3 horses grazing!
JT is still running a fever and has a terrible weaze and cough. His voice was nearly gone, and he told me, "My mouth isn't working. I need some medicine." Yes, children's medicines are way too tasty!
Last night we got a phone call from Austria at 12:30, jolting us from sleep. Onkel Mike just wanted to check in and remind us to have some things packed. (We don't. So far our area is not really in any danger. But we have discussed what we would pack.) Then after a potty-visit, JT couldn't get to sleep, and I couldn't climb into his temporary cribmattress on the floor, so I pulled him up to our bed. Which was a mistake, because at 3:30 JK yelled out "Oh no!" There was a huge puddle in the bed, and JK didn't even wake up until I pulled off his jammies. So, JK slept on the couch and the little guy and I cuddled up on the crib mattress. Very small.
He really hates having to wear a diaper at night, and most nights he just goes without and stays dry, but I had pumped him full of liquids. Oh well. Tonight he is back in his big bed.
I am not sure how the fires have effected him. We had the television on most of Monday, but kept it off after that. He did talk about how "John's brother burnt up. His house burnt down." I had to make sure he realized that the brother himself was fine, even if his house was not. He must have heard that from the landlord who stopped by.
JT and I did talk about the firefighters putting out the fire - and since the fire truck visited his school, he has played putting out fires with any bits of string or rope as hoses.

Hey! I just turned on the tv and apparently primetime shows are on. It seems like a positive sign. (But the evacuations are still ongoing and the fire to the south keeps moving north...)

I'll try and post some pictures soon. Blogger is not cooperating this evening.