Okay, It is Tuesday

Microburst garden shed 

Yesterday morning I had a perfect idea for a return to my usual That-was-the-week-that-was Monday blog. Then came the NOAA warning about a winter storm. Give me a break. It is April. The winds of Sunday made it clear I did not have the poly tunnel laced down correctly so I dashed out as soon as dawn, and before the winds came up to remedy that. And apply duct tape.

Poly Tunnel before duct tape

The winter storm watch had also upset my neighbor. She wanted her doggie doors replaced before the storm was scheduled and so I was off to do that repair. More to be done at my house but money is always good. I had all my quiche prep done for the order placed for them. I figured I could assemble and bake at lunch so off I went to replace very badly installed dog doors. No wonder they leaked wind and self-destructed under use in record time. And she paid a licensed and bonded handyman to do them.

Dog door one down and I came back to my house for lunch and finishing the quiche. And I happened to glance out the kitchen window as I bustled about. And there was the garden shed of the upper photo. Yes it had been windy but the decade old shed by Rubbermaid had endured worse. Besides it looked as if it had exploded. Time did not allow further inspection at that time. Quiche, second dog door, and by early evening I was finally able to walk outside and see all the damage to shed, contents, fence around the yard, my concrete garden Pan, even the plastic liner for the little pond. Pieces of the modular shed were randomly scattered around the yard and lower 40 and even across the stream. .

My paternal grandparents died in the Ruskin Heights Tornado when I was in the 5th grade. I remember walking about the slab of their former home and not being able to make sense of the force that had taken everything in a helter skelter manner. I numbly put the fence back so my dogs could not escape if they got out from under the computer table. I located both cats. Grabbed a box of Christmas ornaments less lid and who knows how many ornaments. I put a plastic box on top of my ceramic saw in case it rained and snowed before I could get the energy to move it to I have no idea where. Or when. Weather is not going to be conducive to clean up till after this storm system has passed.

It is key here to remember I do not live in tornado alley. Lived there too many years dodging super cells to ever want to move back. This was certainly no tornado but it could have been a microburst or a dust devil with no dust. It is something I have not seen in my neck of the mountains. It did put my struggles with Facebook in the background. I dimly remember that was one of the topics for my TWTWTW blog.

Perspective. Mother Nature can certainly put things in perspective. And April has definitely been a month for reminders that my plans do not have to be taken into consideration.

BTW the polytunnel survived, I did a way better job with the dog doors than the handyman, and two more days of storm. Mardi and Magique are going to vet this morning for shots and to ask about what could have been the cause of Mardi's episode. Taxes are ready to pick up. All the things which seemed so important before the fickle finger of fate hit my backyard shed and graphically illustrated the point of rolling with the punches.