Rural Survival

 

Friday night started out like any other Friday night this summer, with the exception of the absence of the twins. There was rain in the forecast, and possible storms, but after a week of extreme heat and humidity, a little rain thrown our way would make for an easier night for both of us; I was looking forward to some respite from soaring temps and a break from working in the gardens, yet again. And in this neck of the woods, the forecast always calls for rain and storms and they usually amount to No.Big.Deal.

We watched the storm clouds roll in for almost half an hour and enjoyed the breeze while still keeping a close eye on clouds that seemed to turn a little oddly above us but as quick as they arrived they were gone and I was feeling a little bereft at the possibility that the gardens wouldn't see much water after all.

We threw open the windows to cool the house down, only to quickly retrace our steps a few minutes later to close them up again; it seemed we were destined to get a little rain after all. And before anyone could give it a thought high winds were upon us, a tree was on top of our cars and I was rushing down into the cold cellar with Pearl in my arms, worried about Ember who was braving the storm somewhere out there.

We lost a few trees, none hitting the house, but none more devastating for us than our beautiful willows that surround our pond. Partial remnants of two remain, and we'll do all we can for them as they face a long, long recovery. Our cars, well, they're not looking so good either but it's the things this storm took that money can't replace that we mourn right now.

And Ember, she made out just fine. Seems she knew the perfect hiding spot, and had battened down her hatch well before the storm arrived and while I'm glad she has strong survival instincts, I'd rather she nor I ever went through that again. Should the need arise, she can join me and my cellar mate Pearl.

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Much thanks to my family for hauling wood, feeding us and lending us a car. And kudos to my brother J for naming this post. Between you and me, he gets his cleverness from his big sister.


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