Two days of Excitement

Oh for a peaceful day!

Well, so far today actually hasn't been TOO bad, but there are still quite a few hours left.

This is Ellen's birthday; a big 2 years old! I haven't taken any pictures of her yet, but I will later on. At least I will try. The trouble with trying to get her pic is that instead of standing there she follows me around trying to get a look at the baby in the viewfinder of the camera. It's annoying.

Anyway.

On Wednesday afternoon I had just got the baby down for her nap when my Portland sis in law called. It was nice to hear from her and as we were chatting amiably about family news I looked out the window and saw my husband charging across the front lawn. I looked the other way and here comes my mother in law from the other direction. Hubby charged off the again and MIL went around the corner of the house to the garage. I went to the window and saw hubby with hoses on his shoulder, he saw me and hollered something at me through the window and ran off to the garage. They roared off to the west in the truck.

All the while I am concentrating on my phone conversation, yakking away and not really computing what was going on. I went outside and looked off to the west. I could see a plume of white smoke going up over to where hubby's grandpa and aunt live. In the back of my mind I think, "hmmm...not really big. No reason to panic."
About that time SIL has to go so we hang up. I go back in and have a quick internal debate; "Should I go up there? What if I get in the way? Should I get the baby up?" Then I go back outside and look again; there are now huge flames and black smoke.

I crammed the phone in my pocket (I dunno how THAT could have helped, but one tends to not think at such times) ran inside, snatched the baby up from her nap, tore outside and into the truck and went up there.

To shorten a long story; it was a leaf fire that got away from them. The wind wasn't really bad, but just enough to get it out of control. They lost an old barn that was full of ancient hay and a few odds and ends that they had. He, Grandpa, lost an old antique tractor, an old motor, and few other things. The main thing that really hurt was that they lost their rear-tine rototiller, the only one that Aunt can start and use in her garden.

But thank the Lord they are both OK: exhausted and scared, but alive and well, which is what really counts.

That was Wednesday.

Last night during milking time we had a big thunder-boomer blow over. Hubby called me and told me to take the baby and go to his mom's because there was a tornado over Buffalo and headed our direction! So for the second time in 2 days I found myself grabbing the baby and fleeing, this time in the opposite direction.

But the tornado, thank You Lord again, didn't touch down and the storm was gone within about 20-30 minutes. Hubby only had had 12 cows left to do so we left Ellen at her grandma's and went and finished milking. It was so eerily still, but we could see lightning flickering in the north and east of us. And in the air outside it smelled like Christmas; from the hail having bruised the cedar trees.



We have decided that birthday times are too exciting in this family. Last year on Ellen's birthday the neighbor's house burned down and on SIL b-day we did have a tornado go through Buffalo.

Please let it be boring next week.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I love the fact you noticed the smell in the air. :)
Anonymous said…
Happy Birthday Ellen!!

So sorry about the fire, but thank God they are safe & ok.
jel said…
sorry to hear that about grandpa's lost the stuff,
but glad they are ok,

and that was a scarey storm last nite , thought it was going to break the windows :(

happy bday to Ellen , it's hard to belive she 2!
are ya ready for the snow
Amrita said…
Happy birthday Ellen
Calfkeeper said…
Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone.

The cedar smell was lovely, a nice gift from the storm.

So far only an inch of snow, jel, we are glad of that.

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