I'm Not Paranoid

Cautious, yes. Paranoid, no. All of my fears are rational.

Back in 10/03, three major fires hit southern California, including one in the San Bernardino hills behind Cal State San Bernardino, a block from my house at that time. As Marty and I watched the flames creep toward the house, we knew it was time to evacuate. After throwing clothes and pictures into the Suburban, I ran through the house taking pictures of all the stuff, just in case we needed to make an insurance claim. I took the kids and the dogs and hoofed it 50 miles to my sister's house. Fortunately, all was well and our house survived.

As I was moving my craft things into the new craft room (old room de Mija), I got to thinking about that fire. At the time, I wasn't a knitter, but I had a lot of scrapbooking supplies. However, I now have a lot of money tied up in yarn stash. Lots of money. If something happened to my stash, I'm pretty sure Senor and my mom, the benefactors of said stash, would like to see homeowner's insurance pay to replace the lost goodness.


At 11 PM, I started making a photo catalog of the stash. This is harder than it looks. On the upside, the stash that was photographed is now extremely neat and organized. The best part is that if something happens to my inanimate baby (AKA stash) while the house is being housesat, We're protected.

A few words of advice to those who are running with a camera and heading to his/her stash.
1. Don't start in the middle of the night, unless you're a night person.
2. Wear comfy shoes. You'll be standing more than you think. Speaking of which, engage your core muscles so your back doesn't get sore.
3. Make sure all labels are facing and that all skeins, hanks, and balls are accounted for.
4. Supplement your photo catalog with a written companion. Update monthly or bimonthly, depending on how much you knit and shop.
5. Don't forget the other supplies, such as needles.
6. Keep water handy. Hydration is good.
7. Make a back-up of your photos and store them in a safe, fireproof place.

I'll finish the yarn stash today; then it'll be time to document the fabric, beads, paper, tools, clay, etc. I'd better go stretch.