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Borrego Springs, CA

Saturday, June 28, 2014

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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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                    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.

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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!

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

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

20 comments:

  1. And yet, with all that water, your motorhome is still dirty... ;c)

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  2. I really remember only one severe storm during my time of living in northern MN. It was really a dilly of a storm, though. At least your home made it through safe and sound. Thanks for visiting and posting on my blog, Judy. Hugs to Emma!

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  3. We had quite a short storm here in Nebraska this evening too!

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  4. You are so funny Judy! I haven't heard (read?) the word cajones in years!
    I am really enjoying the afternoon thunderstorms here in Colorado Springs....but that was some heavy rain you had. They come and go so fast.....

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  5. Seems like that is all it does is rain, we just had a storm come through a bit ago...neverending rain...I suppose when it stops it won't rain til it snows:)

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  6. See,s that the rain is all over...we had a torrential downpour around 2 this morning. Judy, I love the pic of the squirrel.

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  7. Rain, rain, rain! Go away and don't come back for many a day. Hey, send that rain over to California! (That varmint in the tree teasing Emma looked high and dry.)

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  8. We are getting that storm today. Yuck. Hope today you have nothing but sunshine.

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  9. Catching up today... Your Indian Paintbrush is beautiful! But it makes me think of Texas... There are a lot of similarities between Tamarac and Aroostook NWR... things like wildflowers, some of the birds etc. When you post about a butterfly or flower I start looking here about a week later. But we have a LOT of moose flies, mosquitoes and black flies...

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  10. We too are getting a mite tired of rain and the cowboy is itching to start haying. Love the header photo of the lady slippers.

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  11. It is crazy weather. Just completed 24 days on the road from Fl to OH and many places in between and only had five days without any rain at all:(

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  12. We've had a couple of those here along Lake Superior in Michigan. Glad neither of us had leaks in our coaches. Seems the new building needs some rehab if it has leaks already. They just don't make things like they used to. Good thing it didn't happen over night and you two were there to curtail the damage. Well done.

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  13. Rainy days for me means no working out in the yard cutting grass or hauling yard waste to the recycle yard so I actually enjoyed seeing your photos of the rain. We're not getting a lot of rainy days here on Vancouver Island - looks like it's going to be a very dry summer.

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  14. These storms just keep comming. It is rather late for so many.

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  15. We've had a lot of rain on the Texas Upper Gulf Coast this past week--needed rain with little flooding. But the national news shows so much flooding in Minnesota--and this Gulf Coastie feels for the folk and animals that wouldn't expect such storms in that area.

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  16. That rain came down here at about a 45° angle! We couldn't see our swamp either. They had to evacuate the RV park we stayed in a few summers ago because the Minnesota River is flooding the park.

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  17. I was thinking of you earlier today. Not long after we entered into Alaska we saw the visitors center for Teslin Wildlife Refuge. Just had to go inside. Is this refuge HUGE. But then again, it is in Alaska. You must put this one on your list!

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  18. We used to live in the Midwest and know about the storms. That is why we "try" to visit only in the fall

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  19. Re: Squirrel cajones . . . we had a pet squirrel for 8.5 years; we called them his "torpedo tubes"! ;->

    Virtual hugs,

    Judie

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