There's Been a Distraction

The weather has provided a major distraction for the past week. Temperatures have been quite a lot higher than the normal for this time of year; I believe I heard that we have had nine days in a row of "high" temperatures over 95F/35C. Do not be understanding this to mean that's all it has been...

A week ago after one of the really hot days we had a sudden storm blow in just after 10pm. At first there was this very very strong wind and we had to go out to rescue the potted tomato plants from being blown over. Then we noticed the barbecue/grill had been blown across the driveway and tipped over so there was a mad dash to fix that and secure the propane gas tank. On the heels of the wind it rained for maybe thirty minutes and then we lost power. It was around 10.30pm Friday night.

The power did not come back on again until 5.25pm Tuesday late afternoon. I did the math - that was 91 hours without power. During that time the temperatures were peaking above 95F/35C and the humidity was super high. This was not a pleasant place to live.

 Before the storm I had a pair of orangey red hibiscus plants in ceramic pots on the front steps. The plants were very pretty and each day new blossoms appeared and although each blossom lasts only one day there was always a show of color.

 But the wind toppled over one of the plants and pots. I no longer have a pair of pots.

 I was able to rescue the plant however and it continues to bloom. Meanwhile the hunt to locate a new pot to match the first (existing) one continues unsuccessfully.

 This holly tree had been pecked all around the main trunk by woodpeckers some many months ago. But it was still holding on until the strong wind. Now I'll need to get the step ladder out and cut out the broken main trunk.

 But in the garden, a week after the big storm, nature continues on. The swallowtails have found the butterfly bush. And, for the first time this season, just before dinnertime tonight, I saw three hummingbirds chasing each other around the feeder. There has been a single hummer for the past several weeks but tonight was the first opportunity to see that competition has shown up.

 I see there is a first tomato starting to turn color.

 The kitchen was a sorry sight. We had to totally empty out the fridge and the freezer and dump practically everything after being without power for that long.

Daily I went out on scavenging trips. I needed to first find a friend who had electricity so we could recharge various devices. Then I had to find a store that had ice for sale. If the store had ice for sale I would buy three bags and then I could also buy enough fresh food to make lunch and dinner for that day. The ice chests began to take over the kitchen. On the plus side the fridge and freezer have not been this clean since they were new twelve years ago! In fact we were engaged in washing out the inside of the fridge when we heard the happy sound of timeclocks resetting and the fans starting up at 5.25pm Tuesday when the electricity came back on.

This is where our power must come from. All day on Tuesday I saw the power company employees working on this pole. To begin with they had to remove all the trees/tree limbs that had crashed down on it and then they had to make repairs to the equipment. And then, hooray, we had power once more.

Some areas of our village still have no power. And some of those are homes where they rely on electricity to pump water from wells and to dispose of sewage into the septic tank. At least we did not have that added problem.

But for the first time that I can recall, along with losing the electricity we also lost the landline telephone and the cellphone reception. The phones began to work again in a sporadic fashion on Sunday afternoon.

These have been days to build character...despite the fact that I thought I already had more than enough character.

Saturday (tomorrow) and Sunday are predicted to be the two hottest days. And then finally, on Monday, we may return to more reasonable summer temperatures. I sure hope so.