Well, I hope you all had a pleasant fourth of July. We celebrated with a tremendous thunderstorm and a tree falling on our house.
First, yes, this is technically my column for the third of July. It's a poorly kept secret that rarely occasionally sometimes I don't actually get my column written by the deadline. Hey, it's tough to have it on a Monday. Anyhow, as long as it gets done, that's my motto. And at this point I have enough of a track record that I daresay I can point out that it does get done.
Oh, right, the tree. Well, fortunately for us, it only had one largish branch which landed on the rear shed-like structure which serves as our laundry room. Poked a hole in the roof (but not through to the ceiling), which once I got up onto the roof and cut the limb off, I covered with duct tape and a ziplock bag. Gonna have to figure out how to repair it; calling a roofer for a two-inch hole seems a bit excessive, but it did punch through the plywood underneath the rubberized roof coating. So I dunno. I think I'll do what any other man would do: call over some male friends and discuss the issue.
It was a big-ass tree, though, a great big oak. Had it fallen with fifteen degrees difference, it would have come right down on one of our walls and smashed it like a sledgehammer through legos. Sorry, Lego Brand Building Blocks. Had it fallen the other way, it would have done something similar to the neighbors' house. Now, given that it is their tree, that would have been more appropriate, but I for one am heartily glad that no one's house got smashed.
It was odd this morning to look out behind the house and see this tremendous oak crown lying shattered on our back patio. Atop what was formerly my garden tool rack. Sort of a "there but for the grace of God" moment. Although I have to say, if God were really involved I'd have to ask him why the hell he brought the tree down in the first place. It fell at the roots - the thunderstorm roared in with seriously whipping winds, not directional but churning like an eggbeater. The tree was yanked, this way and that, until the roots gave way and the sodden soil couldn't hold, and over it came.
Nor was it just this tree; there are trees down all over the area. We were without power from the storm (about five p.m.) until six the following morning. Which, I will observe, gives me a darn good excuse for having this Cant ready even later than usual. Most of those trees, though, broke up in their crowns, rather than toppling like a headsman's axe.
I tell you, you look at this big ol' tree lying there neatly spliced in between our houses and you can't help but observe: Holy Shit.
I have no statistics, but more or less half of the area I live in was without power last night. I have a pretty good sample since I went out grocery shopping, which involved some driving around to find a store that had power. I got the last solitary bag of ice, and more importantly a bunch of additional diapers.
Anyhow, power was restored this morning at six twenty, so after a long, hot, humid, uncomfortable night, the air conditioning turned back on just in time for us to go to work.
And more storms expected today! I hope that duct tape holds up.
- Sun Ra