 | ||
| Last Thursday afternoon. Back yard looks pretty calm and serene. |
 |
| Oh wait. What's going on here, on the right? |
 |
| Ack! |
At about 4:30 PM on Thursday the winds howled, the rain came sideways, maybe thunder and lightning -- I don't remember because it happened so fast and the windows in my living room were emitting a high-pitched wail that made the cats flee. I don't think the storm lasted more than 15-20 minutes, but when it ended the neighborhood was a mess.
Our damage was similar to that of neighbors behind us, but at least our trees didn't hit houses or cars (or people!). Just fences and benches. Sometime during the first night after the storm, at least one deer found her way into what had been a hosta-filled, deer-proofed garden. She nibbled off just the hosta flowers and ignored the foliage (oh, she'll be back for those leaves soon). There are too many holes in the elaborate fencing to fix before a contractor can get into this mess and remove the stump and the massive trunk attached to it.
It's now Tuesday morning and the chain saws, cranes, and heavy moving equipment have been working almost non-stop since Thursday. Not in my yard, but in yards where the damage was much worse. They even worked throughout the night the first day or two--so many cables and overhead wires came down that the utility companies swooped in to help clean up. (This is why you'll never hear me complain about Pepco, our local electricity carrier. Those people work hard and fast and I'm so grateful to them all.) Today we hope to see work starting on our big mess.
This summer Doug will devote much time to rebuilding his lovely bamboo structures, recreating a nice curve to the bedding area, and replanting bedding plants. I'll help but mostly I'll focus on getting the deer fencing back in shape. The neighborhood is thick with hungry fawns.
Here's an old picture of his bamboo project. See that nice redbud on the right? Gone with the wind.
