A humdinger of a storm

It seems like for over a week, everyday we have rain storms roll through.  That sort of thing is kind of expected if you’re living in the mountains of Colorado, but it’s getting rather tiring here in Minnesota. 

I’ve worked the VC the last two days, and this is what the normal view out the windows should look like.  The VC sits up on a hill with Jim’s Marsh out the back.  This is where the pair of swans nested that we kept our eyes on this spring.  The adults are still hanging around even though they’ve lost all the signets.  Oftentimes a pair of loons stop by as well as some ring-necked ducks.

Along about 2:00 this afternoon the skies got all dark and a terrific wind developed before the skies opened up.  You couldn’t even see the marsh out of the windows.

All of the birds at the feeders left for cover. It was literally a torrential downpour, and some of the bird feeders were swinging so violently that I thought they might come loose and crash into the windows.  It was a wonder to behold.

                    This is the walkway to the front door, and that’s not fog out there.  It was the rain.

It only lasted about 15 minutes, but it sure had Michelle, the intern, and myself staring out the windows!  So what effects did this storm have?  Quite a few.  When folks could finally get out of their cars to come in, they told us that a tree had been blown down right across the entrance road to the VC.  It was a big old white birch, and they were barely able to get around it.

Inside the VC, several leaks developed.  One came from the top of the handicapped door.  I put a bucket under that one.  Then we noticed the floor in the nature store area was all wet.  Water was coming in under the low solid wood cabinets.  Michelle and I were able to move one of the six foot cabinets across the room so we could mop up all the water.  Both of these are in a newly refurbished building!  What a mess.

By the time I got home around 5:00, the sun was shining again and the red squirrels were out harassing Emma.  Of course my rocker and three small tables that I have on the patio outside were blown around the site.  That was one dilly of a windy storm!

                                               THE END!!  (this little guy sure has some cajones!)

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy