My sister-in-law Sandra Caruso had a double wallop of tragedy last week. On Tuesday, her husband George Sanders died at their home in Santa Monica, Calif. George was a World War II veteran and a psychologist. He was 98 and had been ill for a number of months. His death was not unexpected, and not related to the fires.

Tuesday, as you know, was also the day Los Angeles caught fire. In the acrid atmosphere of smoke and wind-blown ash, helplessness and fear, Sandra was able to remain in place and perform the necessary tasks following a death in the home.

Saturday morning alerts were directed to her neighborhood to be ready to evacuate. Sandra’s prize possessions are more than 100 paintings by her father, Tom Maley, on her walls and in storage at her home. Heeding the alert, Sandra began to stack as much artwork as she could fit into her car and prepared to leave, but she was not sure where to go. By the afternoon she had reached a friend, a former student, and together with Sandra’s little dog Wilson and the paintings, they drove to Long Beach, about 25 miles south. Her former student’s parents live in Long Beach, and they warmly welcomed the fugitives, who are still there.

As of this writing, Sandra’s home has not been damaged by the fires. She has supportive and helpful next-door neighbors who have stayed in place, and who promise to keep in touch about the development of the threat. When her life settles down a bit, Sandra plans to come to West Tisbury, where she has spent most of her life’s summers.

Checking on Vineyarders who now live in Los Angeles, we have learned that Whit Lasker has had to evacuate twice. Hannah Keeefe and her family received a mandatory evacuation order but they happened to be out of the area at the time and their home has not been damaged. Her brothers Joe and Sebastian Keefe are both safe, but of course shaken by the experience.

Holly Jenkinson Bareo and her family in Sherman Oaks are out of harm’s way as of this writing. Same for Andrea Silva and her family, who live in the eastern side of Los Angeles.

Ironically, this coming Monday is both the observance of Martin Luther King Day and the presidential inauguration, the day this country takes a deep dive into the unknown. We cannot fathom what may happen “on day one,” but there is a sense of doom and apprehension among the people I know, a fear that we, as a country, have truly stepped in it this time.

Grief and loss are unwelcome themes for this week’s column. On that note, the library will sponsor a Death Cafe, on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 2:15, hosted by Heather Massey, co-founder of the state-wide program, and the Vineyard’s Death Cafe facilitator Joyce Maxner. The gathering offers a respectful and gentle setting for positive conversations on the topics of death, dying and bereavement.

Town clerk Tara Whiting-Wells has mailed the town’s annual street list which needs to be checked for accuracy, updated, signed and returned. If you fail to send back the form, you may lose your place on the voting list. Even worse, perhaps, the Steamship Authority will not allow you to use the Blue Line or excursion rates for travel to America. Then you will be sorry.