Raging Thunderstorm

And a Semi-Break in the Heat

Today is a little easier on the heat than yesterday when temperatures soared and it was humid.  The Boys spent all day hanging out in the barn by the fans.  I tried to sponge them off, but they kept walking off.  Instead, I just fly sprayed they legs and let them decide how to spend the afternoon.

But last evening was another story. A huge thunderstorm hit us.  First there was a powerful blast of winds--enough to knock down another tree branch by the garage and to blow apart my Rubbermaid garbage can shed. (Note here, that the little shed had its lid up, so I guess that kind of acted like a sail.) The shed will be easy to reassemble, but it surely did indicate how strong the winds were.

Then there was some lightning that, as far as I can tell, must have connected at least twice with something tall at the west edge of my property along the road. There was a strange kind of roaring sound--not a zap--and bright light that lingered for some matter of seconds. It happened twice, and was rather scary, even for me who generally is not frightened of storms.  Then came the torrents of rain, so thick it looked like huge waves of water spraying off the barn roof.

The Boys were out in the pasture, at the start and, I guess, sheltered under the trees--not the ideal situation, but I am always torn as to whether to lock them in the barn--I always worry about a lighting strike and fire. (Not sure I trust the lightning rods.)  AND, the storm came up so quickly, I'm not certain I could have gotten them in anyhow.

When the rain eased a little, I did go out, called them in and gave them some hay to keep them happy. They were pretty wet, but after the seething heat of the day, I suspect that must have felt good--sort of. When I went back out later to do late feed, Tucker was a muddy mess where he had rolled.

Then again, it was rather hard to see him, because by then, the power had gone out and I was navigating by headlamp. (A neat little flashlight thing with a strap around my head.)  During the storm, the electricity had gone off and come on twice.  My cable TV, Internet, and telephone went out early on, so I was left to play Free Cell and watch a DVD until the power went off completely at around 9 PM.

Bless the cell phone--which I don't often use--as I was able to call the cable company and then the electric company.  The cable problem was local, affecting about 6 customers--my road.  The power issue seemed to be more widespread.  I sat in the dark, reading a magazine with my headlamp for about an hour, fed the Boys and then headed for bed to lie there in the uncomfortable humid heat of a still warm night, and tried to fall asleep.

Then, at 1 AM, all the lights I'd left on came alive.  Still wide awake, I got up, put my DVD back in the player and watched the rest of my movie to put myself back into sleep mode.  Then I realized the cable modem was blinking normally again and found out my cable was back up.

Pretty good service from both the electric company and the cable provider.  All in all, we were pretty lucky to have escaped with no more serious damage when you consider what some storms have done here in the US this spring.  Nature's power is incredible.