While it was mostly emotional, there was definitely pain and suffering during our 16-month evacuation period. And a good dose of discomfort, anxiety, and awkwardness to round it all out.

Emotional stress aside, allow me to focus on just the physical for a moment: I dug in the ashes for months; for 10 of those weeks while we lived in a series of motels, I went out to Rose Lodge to take care of the horses every day, and Jim and I did the best we could to clean the barn and later, the outside paddock. Much later, trying to feed the horses without a proper feed storage. I could go on, but will continue later (subject to extreme weather, being sent to the hospital by another boarder's horse, living in an old travel trailer, etc.)

Brief emotional notes: Fear, uncertainty, endless decisions and prioritizing; finding our cat's remains; seeking and finding my daughters' urns and Jolene's (probable) bones; dealing with a difficult neighbor; cleanup and construction crews; learning to be my own general contractor with no training or prior experience, etc.