Ten-Finger Exercises

new landscaping ahead, and firewood sooner

The wind was roaring through the night, and I thought what a nice day it would be to continue to wait for the Sears repairman today. weatherunderground.com listed 45 mph winds and gusts up to 70. When I pulled out of the carport, I could see the metal flashing ripping off our roof, and a screen and a birdfeeder blown across the yard. Then I saw the neighbor's tree down in his driveway, and our last up-last down Christmas lights hanging by a single strand from the star imbedded crookedly in the juniper beside our chimney.

I called Bill, who reported hearing on the scanner that a tree had fallen across a car at the bank and a scattering of port-o-potties were sliding across the highway from some rental place. He said I should stay home. I was all for it. But then I called the office to see if I was the only scaredy cat, or if everybody else was there. I was assured, with an indulgent laugh, that everyone else was indeed there. So I unplugged the strand of lights, got back in the car and headed out.

From the street I could see my neighbor's truck and flatbed paused in the long driveway to his house, taillights on. I wondered what he was looking at. We have a very big ponderosa pine in our back yard, and their house sits directly in its path, were it to fall. That's a worry in every windstorm. We had a cherry picker come and prune off all the dead wood last year, thank goodness. Still, if I lived there, I'd get out of there in a wind like this. The tree looked to be leaning no more than before, and the neighbor had gone on to his house, so I went on too.

By the time I'd made it to the highway, about four blocks away, I'd passed half a dozen trees down and pieces of insulation hanging onto bushes. The orchard was decorated with all manner of plastic bags and debris plastered against the branches. Out on the highway, I saw the gas station was closed, having lost most of its less-than-year-old building. Farther on I saw that we no longer have a drive-in movie. I don't know how far it got or where it landed, but it wasn't there. A barn that's been covered with tarps, tied on, and looking precarious for years, remains standing. Maybe it had enough ventilation?

Halfway to town, the boss called and told me to go back home. The power was out. Okay.

I checked out the ponderosa first thing, and it looked the same. But a large white pine that overhung our deck was completely uprooted, the top branches in the above-ground pool but otherwise not disturbing anything. Half of another white pine is in the yard, and the tamarack tree in the corner has fallen across the fence. I would have guessed (and hoped?) that the old, brittle linden trees would have succumbed first, but no.

We do have power, (I guess that's obvious) so I put a pot of chicken soup on to cook in case we have neighbors without power. (I know the power is out farther north, but not how far.) So I guess we're in good shape. We have bean soup, chicken soup and firewood, and the storm has abated to a great extent, but still with sudden gusts producing disquieting thumps and rumbles.

I guess I'll go work on my "holiday" cards and do a little laundry by hand. This probably won't be a good weekend to go to the laundromat.