Just a little Derecho on a summer night

Wow!

Image courtesy of weather.com

Now, that was a storm.  The Weather Channel is calling it a "derecho," which basically means, a long line of thunderstorms that form the shape of a bow and pack a mighty punch.  We got to experience one first-hand last night.


And I got to be out in it.  Good times.  I had to pick up sweet daughter from a week at camp with her church homegirls; no problem, until the storm hit with a vengeance.  One minute things were calm.  The next, tree limbs were falling, rain was pouring, and winds were gusting out of control.  We inched our way home in the dark, dodging debris and praying the whole way.  Well, I was praying.  Abby was chattering away about her week at camp, probably in a valiant effort to stave off terror.  


I have never driven in conditions like that before, and hope to never have to do it again.  


As we drove home and kept passing neighborhoods without power, I started to get nervous.  Would we have electricity when we got home?  Were my children home alone in the dark and heat?  After all, we've had record-breaking temperatures the last few days, and losing air conditioning when it's over 100 degrees and humid is really not a good thing.


Fortunately, we were lucky, and only lost power for a second.


What we did find upon arriving home, was that the basketball hoop had come down, missing the big van by about 6 inches, and that the wind had flipped over the trampoline, mangling some of the poles that hold that precious protective net.  Boo.


So, we found ourselves out in the backyard at midnight, trying to flip over our trampoline in the dark.  And in the rain.  But I really didn't want it to sit that way all night!  Plus, I had to be out and about early, and figured that if we could get it flipped quickly, we could try to repair the damage now rather than let it sit all night--better sooner than later, in my opinion.


Has anyone ever tried to flip a wet 14-foot trampoline before?  Even with 3 of us tugging, it was not working well.  As we pondered on the best course of action, our neighbor drove up with his kids, and offered to lend a hand.  Actually, 4 hands--and those extra hands really did the trick!  We got it righted, straightened out the poles, and thanked our sweet neighbors for their help.  We have great friends here.  What they were doing out at midnight with their whole family in that storm, I'll never know.  But I'm awfully glad they showed up when they did!


My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones due to this string of storms.  And to those who have sustained property damage and are still without power.  We know many of them, and are thankful for the blessings of a kind Heavenly Father who's watching out for us.


Driving around today has been a bit of a challenge, as the roads are still littered with debris and there are traffic lights out all over the place.  It seems like folks just can't remember to treat those intersections as a 4-way stop.  Oh well.  At least we have power, good friends, and nowhere to go tonight.


According to the weather guys on the radio, more storms are on the way.


Goody.