I am up at 1:00a.m. blogging because I am having a little trouble falling asleep tonight. It is because of the picture in my eyes that my mind cannot yet grasp. (That or the fact that Lane is snoring so loud, or the iced tea I had at my 9:00 dinner, or the fact that after age 50 we sometimes just can't fall asleep.)
I am not afraid of thunderstorms. Never have been. I love to sit on the back porch and enjoy them. For example, that storm we had some time ago with all the big hail??? I was running around in the yard gathering it up to freeze. Now, I don't usually go out in the yard in the middle of thunderstorms but I usually just wait them out with some bit of respect. Wind bothers me a little. But thunder and lightening are just loud and annoying if the power goes out. Today was no different. I had returned home around 3:30 with Adalai and we were in the den. She watching "Omizoomi" and eating m&ms and me reading. We were just waiting around on time for me to be at Catherine's salon, Avenue 427 Salon, 704-739-6955..Walk-Ins welcome, (just saying) at 5:00 for my appointment. At about the time for us to leave, I began to notice it was getting darker outside, there was some distant thunder and the wind was picking up. By the time she had her shoes on and m&ms removed from her chin, it was getting darker, windier,and the thunder louder. I began to hesitate, 'should I go or should I stay' and just wait it out. I sure as heck did not want to miss my appointment so we headed on out just before the rain set in. I was to the end of my street when the bottom dropped out. I started to turn around and come back home 5 times but kept forging onward to my appointment (I was desperate people).
We had to sit in my car about 10 minutes before we could get out at the salon. I pass Lane on his way home and about 20 minutes later he calls my phone, "Hey, what are you doing?" Me, "Umm, Lane, I'm getting my hair done. You just saw me in the chair." Lane, "How much longer are you going to be?" Me, (in my sweetest possible tone) "as long as it takes." Lane, "Well, I just thought you might want to come home and see blah,blah, blah..." Me, "What?" Lane, "I blah, might blah blah tree blah blah down." Me, "What are you saying, what about the tree?" Anyway, he finally got it out, "I thought you might want to come home and see the trees that fell." Me, "Trees??? What trees? Our trees? What did they hit?" Lane, "My mighty oak and everything in it's path." Me as I hang up the phone, "Catherine, get this color out of my hair, I have to go home. Oh wait, no, let it finish processing. I don't want it to be orange or purple."
About 30 minutes later I arrive home and am totally stunned as I pull up to my house but it is not until I see Lane and my neighbors that I realize how bad this must be. Lane has this look about him. Not scared, not mad, but...something. Kinda pale and kinda......sad. I get out of my car and walk around to the back of my house and am not prepared for what I see. Trees, trees, trees......All down. I counted 7 but there may be more. And, at the center of all this devastation is "The Mighty Oak".
The Mighty Oak, who just an hour or so earlier had stood at the side of my back yard tall, and beautiful and regal now lay across my yard on top of others. It had fallen and crushed everything in it's path just like Lane said. Thank God nothing hit my house but some leaves and a few small branches and nothing hit my dog's residence. And thank God Adalai and I had left. Thank you God for being in control here and protecting us.
I can't imagine the mess and destruction under these fallen trees. My yard, that I love and work so hard in. My flowers that I care for and love and nourish. My tree with the knot hole that I planted flowers in and enjoyed seeing everyday. My frog planter. My mushroom. My azaleas Mr. Scoggins (who died just yesterday) chose just for my garden near the creek. My laurels that bloomed so beautifully this year. My ajuga my mom helped me plant. My sweet williams that were just that, sweet. My bird bath that Adalai and I enjoyed filling. My tacky pink flamingo planter that I got in Beaufort. The bird feeders Lane kept full for all the finches and cardinals and doves. The hummingbird vine and inpatients. What is to become of all this??? Who knows....Who cares.... It can all be replaced.
Kenny Bumgardner and his crew are coming tomorrow to begin the job of cleaning up. They are going to try to at least get everything on this side of the creek so the grass doesn't die.
I guess my greatest observation here is that we are all safe. My house is safe and my pets are safe. But The Mighty Oak is no more..RIP, our friend........
