The night before last, a huge thunderstorm went through the Baltimore area. I would normally have been asleep already, but I had spent a nice evening with Brady and his family, and was still up at midnight when the storm came through. It was violent. The lightning was constant – it came as frequently as flashes in a football stadium. The wind was weird – it was swirly. The rain fell sideways. At about midnight, I lost power.
By 12:15, my bedroom, which had been wonderfully cool and air-conditioned, was hot and humid. I tried to sleep, but it was awful. Even opening the window didn’t help. Sometime around 3, I went to the dining room and opened the window. Cool air spilled onto the floor. I took Max’s blanket off the couch and put it on the hardwood, and basked in the coolness. But I didn’t really sleep. I like a firm mattress, but a hardwood floor is another matter.
When it was light out, I couldn’t take it any more and got up. I went for a walk in the neighborhood to survey the damage. There were lots of branches down. What was strange was that nearly all the downed branches were silver maples.
My garden had only minor damage. The banana trees were pretty roughed up. The leaves were all bent over. I decided to just cut them all off. New banana leaves sprout quickly. They’ll be back to normal in no time.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Not having electricity is only a minor inconvenience under normal circumstances – most of my entertainment comes through electronic devices. Yesterday was hot though. HOT. It was bad to not have air conditioning. I couldn’t even run a fan! I went to the mall.
Not wanting to go through another night of hellish heat or back-breaking hardness, I wondered if I could sleep at a hotel. Every room from Washington to Pennsylvania was booked. Wow. Fortunately, a friend of Denis still had power. We spent last night at his apartment, and I was in the plane bright and early this morning. In fact, I’m already in Nebraska. Do you think it’s overkill to respond to a power outage by leaving the state?
Yay! Not dead! Neither heat of land, nor fireball in the sky shall stay Brad from the swift completion of his travels.
But really, I could have done without the plane picture this time. Now I have to call Dr. Peffall. Thanks.
Enjoy your trip!
Enjoy your tr
Your poor, poor banana trees! I feel for them – they look naked. 🙁
I don’t think it was overkill to flee at all! You should flee more often, as you bring summer with you. 😀