On Wednesday, Mom and I weeded, tidied up and deadheaded as fast as we could in preparation for the garden visitors we were expecting at 3:30. It was very hot and humid and the weatherman was happily forecasting rain AGAIN, but it was supposed to hold off until later in the evening.
As the day wore on, it was obvious a storm was brewing and fast. Both Joel and Carl came home around 2PM to get the garage ready; the garden club was bringing some desserts and we would need a place to set up tables indoors. While they were scurrying around doing that, I sent Mom home and put all the equipment away.
Around 2:30PM, the tornado sirens a mile away began wailing and almost at the same time one of the members of the garden club called and said she was going to contact the other folks (they were all in separate cars) and tell them to go back home. A short time later, the tornado sirens shut down, and she called again and said those that didn't back out were still on their way.
It did look bad--these are pictures taken out of the living room window as the first wave of storms came in around 3:30PM:
This is the middle of the afternoon, and it's a 'bit' dark!
Luckily, one member of the garden club made it here in one piece. We waited out the storm and by the time it was over, the second car with three people arrived, so we had a delicious dessert in the house, grabbed our umbrellas and headed out to tour the soggy garden. They are such a wonderful group of people and though it would have been nice if all of them could have come, the seven of us had a lot of fun!
Shortly after they left, another front came through and we held on to our hats again. We waited until this storm passed and then ended the evening at Ann's house celebrating her son's birthday. We were very lucky with only a few close strikes of lightning (the one pictured above was just up the road) and minimal wind, but the rain......after the storms were over we had 2 3/4" again. Things can't get any wetter. We are plumb out of dry ground. My vegetable garden is a lost cause, it's standing in water and I will know better next year to site it on higher ground.
The weather did not clear up until Thursday around 10AM and I had the bright idea to run to town and look for some material for a dress for an upcoming wedding we are attending. I took Mom with me and one hour led to two and we ended up at my favorite greenhouse, Rosehill Gardens, to see the daylilies in bloom. Carl called and asked me to meet him after work, so I called Joel who gave Mom a ride home on his way from work. (Ah, the joys of cellphones...) Ann and her daughter met us and we went to the mall, something I'm not real keen on but it was fun and definitely beats weeding standing in mud puddles! After yet another phone call, Joel met all of us in town and we went out to eat and that was the end of the evening.
Even the daylilies are confused by this weather, this is a 'rare' three-petaled version. :-)
Let's hope for some nice, sunny days to come! Karen
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