Major Storm Passed Through Saint Michael

About 2:oo am this morning we experienced the scariest storm to-date. The lightning and thunder were continuous, less than one second between each bout. The sky outside our bedroom windows was constantly lit. The rain was heavy and later there were reports of hail in Saint Michael of up to three and a half inches. The storm raged on for an hour. As the lightning lit up the sky, I could see the tops of Ash and Elm trees bending over and swaying. At 2:15am with the lightning it looked almost as if the trees were dancing. Freaky!

We woke up this morning to see a large branch blocking our neighbor’s driveway. Joe offered to help but she was able to get Perry Eggert (we call him our tree guy) out to clean it up this afternoon.

Megan came to pick me up for a shopping excursion to Kohl’s and Target. She pointed out an outdoor table umbrella on the corner of our street at the top of the hill. One of my neighbors took a photo and posted it to our Butternut Lane SE neighborhood page.

The wind dropped this umbrella at the top of the lane.

The tree limb in our neighbor's driveway. So glad there was no damage to the house.

While I was out shopping, Joe discovered that an eighteen-inch diameter branch from one of our trees had fallen onto our garage roof. He was able to tug the branch down as it was hanging over the edge of the roof within his reach. Tomorrow he will get on a ladder and see if there are any other limbs and if the branch has done any damage to the roof. He spent time cutting the branch up to use in the bottom of our raised garden beds.

I enjoyed shopping with Megan. We treated ourselves to lunch which gave us an opportunity to catch up. Like most stay-at-home moms, she is busy so it is rare these days that we can just sit and talk without the kids or dogs needing her attention. Forty-five minutes for just the two of us is a treat for me!

Today is our warmest summer day. At 89 degrees with 55% humidity, it feels like 91 degrees.

We were invited to a birthday party for a neighbor child turning one years old today. The neighbors were invited, and I had planned to attend. Joe is going by himself instead. Most nights I go to bed and fall asleep within five or ten minutes. Last night I did not go to sleep until 3:00am and then got up at 8:30 am. I took an hour long nap this afternoon thinking I would perk up, instead I am feeling more tired. I gave up coffee about six weeks ago and have been drinking a mushroom coffee that has half of the caffeine of regular coffee. On days when I have had little sleep, regular old caffeine could be the answer to getting me through the day. Except I fear if I drink coffee at midday, I will not be able to sleep at bedtime.

Anyway, all of this to say I did not have the energy or enthusiasm to be social. This is extremely rare for me. Instead, I am sitting in the sunroom writing and watching an eleven-year-old neighbor girl practice her fast pitches into a net. She has been at it for about an hour. At this very moment she is peering into the empty  wastebasket she uses to store balls in, tipping it upside down, slamming the wastebasket into the ground, and shaking it. I suspect an insect has made a home in her ball basket. One thing I know for certain for a wiry eleven-year-old she is doing an excellent job of pitching!