the big blow

It was a week ago today that our area experienced the worst windstorm anyone

can remember.  Jude couldn’t get into work on the mainland because the ferry

couldn’t run.  On her way back, she met up with our neighbour Paul, and they

had to clear eight or so trees off the road as they returned home.

Paul gave Jude a whistle to warn him of falling trees as he cut the fallen ones.

The vertical ones were waving like wheat in the gale force winds.  As they were

doing that, they were joined by more neighbours: Jolie, Mowat and Maese. 

They had just avoided being squished by a huge tree that fell next to their car

as they hurried home.  All five showed up here as I was blogging.  Paul stayed

only long enough to sharpen Jude’s chainsaw, then headed home to be with

his family.  He called 30 minutes later to let us know he’d made it safely.  In

the two miles between our place and his, he had to clear two  more trees.

Jolie and the kids stayed a few hours to decompress.  Maese, who had once

been Jude’s assistant in baking chocolate chip cookies, was disappointed that

we didn’t have enough ingredients to make more, but graciously settled for

hot chocolate.

Mowat and I played a rousing game of “Harpoon Lagoon”, then he joined the

ladies to watch Treehouse TV.  I finished blogging.

A few days later I drove the Heriot Bay to check the mail and took these shots

of the storm damage:

This is the maple tree next to our house.  Until the storm, it was fully covered with

moss.  Note the tree’s bark.  Patches of moss as big as dinner plates were blown off.

The upside to the storm was that it replenished our waterfalls.

 There was another upside.  Although having company was a 180 out from what

I had planned for my morning, it let me share that tumultuous day with neigh-

bours and my sweetie.  Any time with hot chocolate, “Harpoon Lagoon” and

chidren’s laughter is a keeper.

Less than 12 hours to go until spring starts, and KU is headed for the Sweet Sixteen.

As Woody Harrelson observed in Zombieland, take time to enjoy the little things.