For the past few weeks, as I'm sure a lot of you have either witnessed or heard on the news, the south has been getting some destructive storms... wind, hail, tornados. A week ago, we were on a two day alert about the white cell that eventually laid waste to swath of about 4 states. It didn't even rain here, even though our weather people were predicting 100% chance. Not a drop.
That all changed yesterday as a mother nature came without warning, again making me realize that checking the weather is completely senseless (as telling me its hailing when its hailing is not all that useful, I've noticed). They do not know and the illusion that they do can only serve to bite you in the ass.
The hail was one thing, mostly about bb sized, with some about dime sized and a few that looked like wadded up pieces of hubba bubba. I noticed this because the hail was coming directly sideways into the west side of my house and were skidding across the upstairs porch. You could see them doing high fives with each other and brushing the pollen off. Woohoo WILD RIDE MAN!
The bigger issue was the wind that was sending it horizontal. First, I was scared for my windows as the smack that they were making against the panes sounded pretty brutal. Then I looked outside and saw the whipping circular motions everything was making on the east side of my yard... it was an 'ut oh' moment. And here I was thinking JUST that morning that it was nice that we were having our normal thunderstormy type weather this summer, which I felt sure was a great improvement over the past two years where it never rained all summer.
Even right before the storm, I was outside thinking, yeehaw, I don't have to water, because this thunderstorm is going to take care of it. Well, and then some. 60 mph winds. 60. On the rocks.
Stupid weather. Why can't we just have normal? NORMAL!!! I am sick to death of coldest winters and hottest summers and droughts and destructo storms.
So the destruction included the toppling of two newly planted maple trees (fixable), the flattening of anything tall in the garden (pathetic and not sure how to fix), busted and now flowerless roses, and the destruction of all the just emerged THIS WEEK foxglove. Hate. Seeing Red. Flames, flames on the side of my face. Broken in half with most of the flowers unopened.
Also very angry at myself too as I had plenty of stakes sitting right there.... Well, I hope it at least took out a few squirrels. And the rat that chewed through my cars window washer fluid hose... again. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
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Cut the foxgloves and bring them into the house. Put them in your favorite vase and enjoy them. The other things will recover. I hated it as well as you read in my recent blog post. Head held high, we move on. BTW, your garden is looking pretty fantastic! Congrats!!
ReplyDeletei think your garden looks great, too. the high fiving hail gave me my laugh of the morning! love it! the weather has really been irritating this spring -- i definitely agree with you on that.
ReplyDeleteHi-Five, Jess! We had rains since yesterday too - unexpected and most welcomed. Your garden looks great!
ReplyDeleteJess so sorry to hear about the storm damage...nothing worse than losing plants or having their bloom show cut short...the weather everywhere is whacked...we still have very cold, very wet conditions...here's hoping we find some Normal weather again...
ReplyDeleteHi Jess, we even heard about the storms out here, so they must really have been bad! I'm sorry to hear that everything has been flattened - I would have been pretty upset to see my Foxgloves flattened too!
ReplyDeleteJess, so sorry for the damage from the storm. And your car too. A squirrel took out my neighbor's cable. Now that was a travesty.
ReplyDeleteDear Jess, sorry to hear about the damage - nature has certainly been pretty wild lately. Let's hope it all comes back beautiful as ever. cheers, catmint
ReplyDeleteThat was some wind, foxgloves are usually quite sturdy. Sounds like the squirrel has it in for you, why in the world it would chew the windshield washer?
ReplyDeleteOh dear, Jess, just as I was looking at your previous post and feeling envious about how beautiful your garden was looking. I agree with the advice about bringing the broken foxgloves in and enjoying them in vases; that's what I do when my delphiniums get broken by wind and rain (which they almost always do!). But, oh, it's so hard to see our plant babies flattened. -Jean
ReplyDeleteJess, It is very frustrating when all your hard work disappears in a storm. On the other hand, it sounds like you avoided the worst of it. Something chewed through my washer fluid hose too. I liked to think of it as a mouse and not a rat. Carolyn
ReplyDeleteScary stuff. I'm glad you're okay and that the garden survived. Here's hoping you'll have normal weather from here on out. Enough of this bulls**t weather, right? :)
ReplyDeleteYou have beautiful garden! May be you can bring in the flowers to decorate your house!
ReplyDeleteHope your area weatehr improve to better one!
Thanks for dropping by my blog!
Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. Foxgloves are particular favorites of mine, so I can feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a strange spring; hasn't it? I, too, was rejoicing in the return of the hefty evening thunderstorms this spring, and even enjoying the cooler than usual temps. Maybe we'll have a quasi-normal summer. You never know. Whenever I'd complain about the weather, my granddaddy used to say, "You know what farmers say about the weather in North Georgia?" And I'd say, "No, what?" And he'd answer, deadpan, "We'll take it when it comes."
p.s. Happy belated Earth Day and Easter, Jess!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the condolences everyone. I have calmed myself, and I do realize it really could be much worse out there than some flattened garden. Last time I checked there were no militant rebels with AK 47s running through my back yard.. and hey, there are people in this world that can't say that!!!
ReplyDeleteStill, next year I'll be staking foxglove. Its just so annoying because those things take a year and half to bloom. argh. I'm also seeding 50 of them come august, to set out so I have some again for next year.