A Close Strike

 The thunder and lightning exploded with a red flash outside the window, 

a strike in the front yard during our early morning Palm Sunday storm. 

It was the sort of strike where you know something 

bad might have happened.

The skies had grown dark just before the hail started and gigantic

drops of rain came crashing down.

Rivers of rain were flowing across the courtyard and cascading 

down the side yard churning up my newly planted spinach 

and lettuce beds. Hopefully the seeds will still sprout 

even if the rows are no longer straight.

The downspouts were full

and the culvert was once again flooded,

very much appreciated by the frogs and toads

that will soon be laying floating gelatinous egg strands

that we will scoop up and transport to the fountain.

We had no outdoor damage

although the electromagnetic pulse of the lightning

took out the power supply to our TV tuner but 

fortunately the TV survived.

We do have damage from the past winter storms.

What was once minor damage to the garden wall pond liner

is now fully cracked and in need of replacement.  

We left debris from the winter inside until we remove it

so whatever may fall inside has some footing to get out.

We will have to either replace the hard plastic liner
or create our own shape with soft liner.  
We had something like this originally and at the old house,
similar to a small grotto with pretty rocks stacked up
and ledges for  small waterfalls.

What I cannot repair is the missing red bud that

my husband cut down while thinning the volunteers that

have grown up over time. I didn't realize he was going

to cut this one with the rest, it gave a nice background to the 

pond.   Now I have mulch piled up over the stump until

I determine what I will put in as a replacement.

I took a walk after the storm and caught some nice photos of 

  blooming  wildflowers and mossy rocks. I'll share those later.

We're expecting more storms overnight, some may be severe.

Don't forget- when you are walking around after a storm

Look Up.

Watch for damaged branches that may fall on you without warning!