"I got sunshine on a cloudy day..."

First, the weather report. Manitoba had a slew of warnings for wind, thunder storms, etc. today. Road 88N, though, was a sunny paradise for the morning. By 1:30, however, the winds had started shifting around, purple clouds passed to the west of us, it began to spit, and I put aside my work on the back-door deck.

I needed to go to Stonewall on some business. On arriving in town, I asked the insurance agent about the flooded intersections. She stated that she hadn't been able to see across the street 30 minutes ago. As I turned north for home, I flogged myself for not having acted on my thought of bringing a camera. The low north sky featured a long (perhaps 5 miles), thin, low-hanging black cloud with a purple bottom, bright white underbelly and blue-white cap. Oh, and lightning bursting from all sides. I found out later that Teulon to the north of us had been pelted with hail.Road 88N, however, was virtually untouched by moisture. But this is what greeted me as I turned onto the driveway.
Earlier today, it fell to my friend, Perry Nodelman, to point out the correct attribution for "Who has seen the wind," a poem I recalled from Grade 1 days. The effects of the day, seen in these pictures, may have been the literary gods retribution for my flawed memory. If so, "I really done a baaad thing."


As I took photos, I toted up the casualties: at least 24 trees were toppled or snapped halfway up. The power was out and the sump pit was already full (again). Happily, the effort in wiring in a transfer switch was fully rewarded. With the generator connected and fired up, the sump pump started up, as did the fridge, freezer and other necessary utilities.By 5:15 the power was back up and the driveway was again passable. That's when Smokey Robinson broke into "My Girl" under a once-again clear blue sky. The rest of the yard awaits chainsaw massacre tomorrow.Well, I have been making steadier progress on the deficiency list for the past couple of weeks. The verandah steps need only the railings to call that task complete. The sump pit will have a back-up pump joining the main pump this weekend, the back porch deck will be completed as soon as the weather cooperates, the laundry area will be complete as soon as Ikea ships the right doors, and, and, and. I may finish this project yet.