The forecasts changed from "not gonna get here" to "it will likely rain" to watching the radar images slide our way. Tornadoes were possible... just not here, at least. Morning news showed damage from elsewhere in the state. But lightning was steady and strong through the system, which I verified for myself from the Real Time Lightning Map which remains bookmarked among all the other reliable weather sites bookmarked on my laptop, up to and including Space Weather.com.
(OK, that last one mostly never affects what happens here but it does indicate interesting things in the sky should we ever get cloud free night skies. Dream on! It was useful in Arizona though.)
Anyway, I had to get busy before hitting the sack. My son had just been over, despite still having 80-plus degree temperatures and high humidity until sunset, at a level a local TV forecaster refers to as "air you can wear." He was demolishing the rotting porch/stairs combo outside the door facing the street. No, we never liked it, now won't use it, having declared it totally unsafe since the old furnace was removed and the new one installed through that door. He's been putting its replacement together and will be ready to bring segments over for installation as weather permits. The house door was dead-bolted so nobody can use the entrance, and with the old framework now gone there is no temptation to injury in that spot.
There was, however, a huge mess. First, an unexpected pile of last year's dead leaves had managed to find the right winds to slide them through between gaps in the wood and pile up unmolested. Not our leaves, of course, but maple and oak leaves, none of which come from our lot. I had also inspected the area covered by the concrete slab which supported the former porch, visible once the large crap was gone. It was additionally loaded with piles of collected dust and dirt, decorated with abundant, somewhat painted chips and chunks from the former wood so badly maintained by former residents. My son kept mentioning their lack of using proper screws for the construction. Good thing he's a perfectionist! I know we can trust the safety of its replacement. And yes, it will get repainted regularly.
My original plan was to be out bright and early in cool morning air to clean it up. The amended weather forecast pushed that plan forward to after dark but before bed. That turns out to be local mosquito time. I'd turned on the outside light so I could see to clean up properly. They noticed. I'm tasty. Amazingly they were my first mosquito bites of this year, as the steady lake breezes keep them at bay, but my back is busy reacting with a heavy dose of itch. SOMEBODY forgot to buy OFF! this year.
Oops. I'm making a shopping list for later today.
Meanwhile with a broom and dustpan I managed to tightly pack a wastebasket to the brim three times, each load dumped into the garbage bin which goes curbside tonight. No, mea culpa, I didn't take the extra time to treat the mosquitoes to a feast by stopping to bag the stuff. I just hurried to get rid of it all before the rain showed up, though mostly to remove myself from the evening menu.
Yep, selfish me! Hey, you feed them all you want!
The can goes curbside tonight. With the next round of storms expected later today/tonight, maybe or maybe not here again, there's enough ballast in it to withstand normal storm wind gusts. There was a lot of detritus on that concrete pad which had chipped off over the years. I still think "wood hamburger" is an appropriate reference. It might be heavy enough that I'll ask Paul to wheel it out for me, since I still shouldn't be handling heavy stuff, and my limitations are pretty wimpy with titanium screws holding my shoulders and arms together. I'm officially approved for PT now, and I'm counting last night as part of it!
The storm rolled in on schedule, most of its power spent by then. I'd been watching, both through slightly opened blinds and TV/laptop reports, and clearly clocked one lightning strike one second away. But I'd taken the time to air gap certain electronics, and delayed what would have been a much welcomed shower for my salty/itchy back. I'd always been warned not to be in water, indoors or out, during interesting weather. It didn't pass until 2AM, and my late activity kept me awake through it, coupled with mosquito bites.
There was one incidental benefit. Since my back stopped me from relaxing enough to sleep in my recliner, and my shoulders won't let me sleep on my bed (I swear that mattress is harder than the one I selected in the store!) I decided to stack pillows on the couch and give that a try. Almost instant zonk!
At least I slept till 7:30. After morning duties, I opened the front door to see what might have been left on the concrete pad. No wood chips or chinks, no hardware. Whatever the dust had been composed of, the storm arranged it into piles of small black pebbles. Weird! After breakfast I'll head out and clear it off, checking what it might be and hoping it isn't cemented together. But maybe a nap first, eh? Or at least, coffee for sure.
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