There Was a Storm

It popped up so quickly.  I clocked out of work at 3:30 and tired not to speed on my way home, in an attempt to beat the darkening storm clouds that were chasing me.  I talked to myself after glancing in the rire view and side mirrors. "We will be OK.  God will not give me more then I can handle.  Whatever happens will be for His glory, and He will help me to get through this.  We'll going to be OK."

Twenty minutes later I was pulling into our drive way.  The wind was hurling around the barn yard and dust was blowing everywhere.  The yellow milk wagon was  rolling across the drive way by itself, which I thought was rather funny. 

It ended upside down.

I drove into the barn, due to the garage door not opening because the power was already out.  I ran through a cloud of dust, dirt, chicken feathers, straw and hay to close the barn door and found mom struggling with it already.   "Go close the windows!" Mom said.  

As I entered the house, an older lady got out of her Equinox and called out "Can I stay in your basement?"  I welcomed her in and we both started closing windows before heading to the cellar.  Mom soon joined us and the two senior ladies started chatting. 

We sat in the cellar waiting for the wind to finish it's temper tantrum for over 15 minutes.  At last we emerged to find leaves and twigs all over the yard and one tree branch down, which had just missed the house.

Apples all over the yard.

One of the old silage wagons got blown to pieces.  (It wasn't in very good shape to begin with.)

The silage wagon parts caused the auger to over turn.

We were without power for about fifteen hours, most of which were during the evening. 

The clean up began the next day.

That storm was in early July and as I finish this post, we await the coming of another Derecho storm expected to hit sometime this afternoon. This time mom and I are ready: barn doors, closed and chained.  Vehicles, under cover.  Auger, put away. Gasoline for generator, in the barn.  Mom, cutting watermelon so we'll have something to eat (looks like she's eating every other piece she cuts).  Dad, on his way home from work in hopes of cutting a tree limb down that's hovering over the electric line.  Me, on stand by to get clothes off the line and close windows.