Weathering the Storm

Tornado sirens blasted last evening when dark clouds, high winds, hail and a down pour struck the area.

The boys and I took shelter in the basement of our church where we had gathered with dozens of others for this week's Vacation Bible School. When the power went out, the kids led songs and told ghosts by candle light. Later, on our drive home, we noticed downed trees and leaves beaten to the ground by hail.

Pulling into our washed out driveway, Isaac shouted, "It's a good thing Mom said to put Moose in the kennel before we left. Look!"

The tree to which we tether our dog had a large branch whipped down beside the spot where he usually rests. And the maple tree that serves as a post for his kennel had one of its multiple trunks snapped off twisting the fence. The lean-to doors sheltering his food-and-water coop had blown over too. Physically, Moose fared well and seemed himself after a long run.

From our home's northwest corner, the wind had blown off fascia trim and the gutter drain. Tree limbs and branches scattered the yard. Our lawn – browned by this summer's drought – looked green. That illusion stemmed from the heavy leaf cover brought on by hail. Inch-sized ice balls lay bedded deep into the grass.

Noah's garden suffered damage. He ran down to the field and cried, "My pumpkins!"

Upon closer inspection, he realized only the plants' leaves were shredded. The two big balls were still intact. In fact, one had even started to turn orange.

Although the tomato plants were flattened, they were still rooted and their green fruit was mostly unharmed.

Amazingly, Noah's 12-foot sunflower stood tall against the eery sky. Back in April, Noah started this plant from seed with his kindergarten class. His teacher told him the plant might get three-times his height before gaining a head.

After the storm, we noticed a perfect flower head forming in spite of the plant's torn elephant-ear leaves. To encourage Noah, I said, "There's still hope – if it's standing after all that!"