Good Saturday to you from our corner of the world where December keeps marching on. What a week of weather to talk about! On Wednesday it reached 68 degrees here in the upper midwest....in mid December! Unbelievable weather and it brought with it unbelievable storms. Thursday the temperature dropped into the 20's. Again, unbelievable. It looks like a green/brown Christmas this year, though, since all the snow from before has melted.
Yes, speaking of unbelievable weather, the forecast was for a fast moving line of storms, possible tornadoes, and then straight line winds to come through Wednesday afternoon and evening. We had an appointment at Mayo scheduled, so headed out early Wed morning. Fog made driving down right scary at times, but once the winds picked up the fog dissipated. We made a quick stop at Trader Joe's to stock up before my appointment, which went well. We then quickly headed home getting back by 3pm. We were gone 7 hours and 4 of that was spent in the car.
We prepared for the storm, putting outdoor decorations away and making sure we had candles and flashlights available. By the time we headed downstairs to wait for the storm itself it hit, we knew that there had been wind gusts up to 90 plus mph one state over from us. The storm came through quickly and even though tornadoes were all around us, we did have one right here. Unfortunately in a small town just east of us they got hit hard with a lot of damage. Other places the same. We decided to head upstairs to bed by 10 but Joel woke me soon after saying the winds were so high we needed to head to the basement. We live in a tall, tall house......so we were up in a high tower and vulnerable to tree or wind damage. We slept all night in the basement.......me on a comfortable wicker sofa and Joel on a futon. We only lost a few small branches and three shingles off the back roof. Grateful.
My sister Kay and her husband Dan ended up without power from Wednesday evening until midnight Thursday making for a very cold house! They came over Thursday night for soup supper and we kicked on the fireplace to warm them up. We offered them a bed but they headed elsewhere.....thankfully they are now cozy in their own home.
One of our kids told me I might be obsessed with the weather..........and I probably am. Having a meteorologist for a husband (Air Force) weather was always on his mind and mine. Having lived through earthquakes, seven typhoons, tornadoes, storms, floods, and blizzards I am a bit focused on what weather is coming! The first earthquake I experienced was when I was a baby so had no clue......the second was in the Philippines ~ did not last only a minute or so, but with everything shaking, the dining room light swinging, and doors banging, and walls rippling, it kinda surprises you! Our "sew girl" was working at our house that day and was very relaxed about it all. I was not! All I could think of was that we were on an island in the middle of the ocean and the earth beneath us was moving and grooving! Ha.... The third brief earthquake we experienced was in west central MN!! During our daughter's graduation ceremony there was a tremor and shook things up. It was quickly over but pictures on our walls at home were crooked when we got home...I have probably shared these stories before. Forgetfulness. Brain fog. Think I will blame it on the med I am taking.....
We finished up our Christmas shopping this week, which was pretty easy as we are giving out gift cards to our family. We made more pumpkin bread, homemade chicken and rice soup, and I got the Christmas newsletter out. Our holiday itself will be quiet, but the day after Christmas our family starts arriving for that evening, the next day, and the morning of the day after that. Short but sweet. We are praying the weather holds! No snow, no wind, and no tornadoes in December!
Joel has kept busy shopping, making more wood projects, and rewashing the windows. It seems the winds blew in dirt from places like Kansas and it rained wet dirt, leaving our shiny windows filthy! I am on yet another antibiotic as the infection did not completely leave. Thus the brain fog. I have been baking a bit for Joel and working on a puzzle, walking, and trying to sleep past 5 pm. I took Benadryl for a few months to help me sleep through the night, but read a couple of studies that said consistent usage was linked to dementia so I am off of that. Just sayin' I don't need help in going down that road!
So this week I am grateful the shopping is done, Christmas is coming! Grateful the storm did not cause us damage, and that the tornadoes avoided us. Grateful for phone calls, Christmas music, laughter, medications when you need them, PT help, a husband willing to wrap my arm and hand in bandages every night, the fireplace, the love of family, memories that make us smile, our tree, and so much more..
Enjoy your weekend!
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