A Big Blow
Does a tree falling outside your bedroom window in the middle of a night make a noise? I'm not sure but if it did, I didn't hear it and was surprised when I looked outside and saw the above mess. With most of our leaves gone, the winds forecasted for the early morning hours really made an impact. Nothing to slow them down and I did hear the wind howling. Fortunately, it is in a part of the lawn that I don't mow anymore so there is no rush to have to clean it up but I reckon I will eventually just so I can get rid of all the debris.
Not shown are our two compost barrels that were sitting on a pad of cement behind our garage. My wife unfortunately emptied it right before last night so both were down at the bottom of the hill. One lid was on the opposite side of our house laying next to the street and the second lid is still missing in action. I walked around until I was chilled enough to have to go back inside to warm up without seeing it. Winds strong enough to blow a live tree over are strong enough to carry a light plastic lid probably well into the next state so I may never see it again.
We also had mighty winds but all was battened down. You must be a like a hobbit and go on a quest.
ReplyDeleteFortunately my wife told me there was only one lid to begin with and so ended my great hobbit quest before it could begin.
DeleteThe moral of this story is always write your name and contact details on compost bin lids. Life in the Iowan countryside is filled with unexpected excitement. One day an invading bat, the next a destructive wind. I wonder what will come next Perhaps Bruce Springsteen's tour bus will break down outside your house and he'll knock on your door seeking shelter.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had that happen but did have a neighbor host a presidential candidate at their house a long while back and thus had secret service posted at the end of my driveway stopping all traffic from proceeding further down the street. Believe it or not, that was my second run in with the secret service.
DeleteSounds like a blog post to me, Ed.
DeleteStay tuned Debby. I just wrote it up and saved it to be published in the near future.
DeleteOh, that's frustrating! I hope the lid turns up!
ReplyDeleteIt did in the sense my wife told me there never was a lid on one of the barrels.
DeleteLots of powerful wind over the weekend and I'm thankful we were spared tornadoes. The damage from the ones that hit is just heart-breaking. Seeing the reports is almost mind-boggling.
ReplyDeleteI've been following the reports as well, especially the ones where they are now saying "tornado alley" has shifted to the east due to global warming patterns.
DeleteWhat a title! Nature will rule, always.
ReplyDeleteShe sure does!
DeleteGale winds cause lots of damage. A few years ago, we had a long needle white pine tree upend behind the house in the middle of the night and the thud did wake us up. This tree was 16 inches in diameter and very tall. Luckily the house was unscathed.
ReplyDeleteWe get our fair share of winds out here in the Midwest but usually the trees are acclimatized to it and aren't that easy to blow over.
DeleteWe are having quite a Wind storm at Old Home as well right now Ed. Nothing down yet but it is pushing the rain onto the wood I pulled from the pile, and preventing a tarp from keeping it dry.
ReplyDeleteI think I saw weather forecasters talking about the very same storm now east of Old Home quite a ways. It is supposed to hit us tomorrow with some high winds from the south and setting record high temperatures for this time of year. I may have to put the still mostly empty compost bins inside for a day.
DeleteAnd I bet you feel fortunate that you had such limited damage.
ReplyDeleteI like not having the pressure to do something about it anyway. If a tree had fallen from our yard and across the road, the pressure would be on.
DeleteWe had wind too but not as bad as predicted. I dread trees coming down; I'm glad yours wasn't serious. Part of my fence sometimes falls in heavy wind. That's expensive to fix!
ReplyDeleteWhen we moved into this place, there were four very large trees up next to the house, three of them dead and the fourth half dead. I had them removed. I only have one huge pin oak tree that is within falling range of my house but it is located closest to the garage and away from the habited zones. But should it show signs of decline, I will pay to have it removed before it can fall and do damage.
DeleteGood thing it didn't hit the house!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, that would have not been good.
DeleteI know the mainland has been hit by some terrible tornadoes and winds. My friend from Hawaii is staying with her son in Illinois and texted asking if these terrible winds were the usual thing because it was really scaring her. She said her son calls Chicago the Windy City. I told her that yes... Chicago does get a lot of winds so not to worry. Then my daughter texted me that it was so over-the-top windy that they were all nervous. I understand all this is probably due to the warmer than usual December temperatures around the Midwest, etc. I'm glad it was just your tree and barrels that were impacted.
ReplyDeleteFun fact, Chicago got the nickname of Windy City not due to lots of winds but because the locals though their politicians were full of hot air, more than most anyway.
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