And the thunder rolls...

We had a cool storm blow through our neighborhood on Monday night. After Jfer got home from work, we hang out with our neighbors and their dogs enjoying the cool breeze and watching the ominous sky. The drops started to fall within a few steps of the house and by the time we got in it was pouring.

Then the winds picked up and soon there were such gales that the trees we recently planted were bending 90° (they didn't get harmed) and the huge branches of the mighty oak up front where whipping against the porch (only a few branches broke off, although lots of the moss got blown away). The paper reported that winds reached up to 57 MPH.

Soon the deluge was such that you couldn't see to the street. Then the hail started and we frantically cleared out stuff in the garage and moved my car in. Then the power went out -- twice. Luckily we have plenty of candles and it had cooled down so much that air-conditioning wasn't really necessary.

The aftermath the next day was pretty impressive. We only suffered a few broken branches and two sections of our back yard got blown over. We fixed these fairly quickly (and I'm now have nice poison ivy rash to show for it). I'm proud to say that our shed didn't budge an inch! When they recommend that you anchor down structures, listen to them...

Other people weren't as lucky. There were quite a few broken or overturned trees in the neighborhood. Lots and lots of blown down fences, roof shingles and other debris. There was quite a bit of lightning during the storm and one split a huge cottonwood in the park which then toppled on another one and they are now precariously hanging over someone's house. Some nice oaks got damaged, too, and a very pretty maple was laying broken, blocking one of the bridges in the park.

But there is now water in the creek and the air seems so much cleaner and cooler. And in a couple of days most of the broken stuff will be cleared away and there'll be rain lilies everywhere. It just goes on...