They teased the hillside with a few gusts during the night but arrived with a vengeance at 5:40 am this morning and at 5:45 the was a bang and then no power. It was blowing SO hard I just prayed the windows didn't come out of the frames. I have no idea yet what speed the gusts were roaring through but I would guess 80-85 mph.
Squirt and I got up when the power went off because something was banging against the house and Squirt, a.k.a Guard Dog Supreme when Robert is out of town, was barking like crazy. Once downstairs, I couldn't see the grill anymore from the back door. Sure enough, it was close to going over the side of the deck. SO, I made Squirt stay inside because I wasn't sure he would stay on the ground and I went out (did I mention it was pouring rain?) and moved the grill to a more sheltered part of the deck...or so I thought...while being attacked by a raspberry cane that came loose from the pile I cut down last weekend. I also moved the patio chairs up against the house to minimize their potential to bang the house.
Once done on the back porch, we could still hear the thudding and I went out the front door and one of the hanging baskets was just about to fly off, twirling so hard it was hitting the porch column. Once that was down the banging miraculously stopped. I checked the grill one more time and the cover was gone. GREAT - ran outside to find the cover and secured it until the storm was over. (For some reason it was till on the porch.)
We lit some candles, found the camping light and sat in the living room waiting for power to return. Got really hungry and fixed breakfast by camp lantern. (It took me a minute to realize the electric start on the gas stove wouldn't work. I blame lack of coffee.) Power returned promptly at 9:00am which is about the time it is getting good and light here and I noticed the neighbors had a tree fall across their fence and on to the top of another house. First time that's happened in our neighborhood. In fact I saw four trees down this morning and while I'm not entirely sure, I think every little stick in the metro area ended up on our porch.
Now to start the clean-up. I went outside and moved the rest of the flower pots to a sheltered place, rounded up the rest of the raspberry canes and noticed the wind had knocked the cover off of the main junction box to our house. While this happens periodically, it can't be good to have your two main breakers exposed to the pouring rain. SO I stomped through the bushes and put it back on in the process turning one of them off. Didn't know it until I was back inside. This calls for something to help hold the panel in place...I've got just the ticket - an Allen wrench. I just needed something to brace it in place. Looked like it would work. It did until Squirt and I were off to get some gas and groceries and the darn thing came off again in a gust and turning the power to the house off.
Me - ever the patient person, it is now covered in the end all, be all, fix all, can't live without it duct tape.
Robert will not be happy...maybe I shouldn't tell him until he has recovered from his flight home today. This does however go to show you nothing has changed. He goes overseas and something breaks at the house. Thank goodness I have a good supply of tape!!!
On a brighter note...I put our fall decorations out today. Two nice pumpkins on the front porch!
No comments:
Post a Comment