Just as I was heading for bed last night, a huge wind storm blew through that kept me on my toes for several hours. No sleep at Taylor Manor. Wind gusts to 49 mph. Branches and fir cones were hitting the roof. Stuff was flying around everywhere. At one point an old hag flew by on a bicycle looking for her sister. The storm lasted from about 10:30p to just after 2a... when I finally crawled into my bed.
This morning, we woke to sun and this:
Maybe every thing just blew onto our neighbor's property - we just had a few branches and a zillion fir cones in the driveway. Not too bad. We've seen worse.
The winds must have been very strong - that chair is usually on the far side of the table.
There. That's better. The rocking chairs weigh a ton, too. Hard to believe the wind was strong enough to blow it across the porch.
Care to dine al fresco? What a mess. Who is going to clean this up?
But the dead Douglas Fir is still standing! Seriously leaning, this tree just refuses to give it up. I watched it swirl-around last night and thought (for sure) it was going to fall, but it kept bobbing back. The tree sits on our our property line. The surveyor wasn't exactly sure what to do with it when the neighbors were logging trees twelve years ago, so it was spared. The poor thing looks ridiculous, out there all alone. Douglas Fir (the most famous weed in the Pacific Northwest) do not like to be alone. They like to grow together, in dense forests, and put down shallow roots. If they lose their neighbors, they dry up and die, or fall over in the first wind storm. Timber! Safety in numbers.When the lone tree does fall, it will fall into our property and we will have a ton of (literally) free fire wood. Though it may not look like much - the tree is down in a little gully where a creek runs through the woods - that tree stands about 45 feet tall. It serves as a popular lookout for turkey vultures, hawks and ravens.
My family from Denver will arrive tomorrow for a visit, so I was in the kitchen all afternoon. (Loving every moment too!) I made my famous Italian Short Ribs - best made the day ahead - baked my nephew's favorite cookies and made chicken stock for Tortilla Soup. Tomorrow, I will bake an apple pie.
Tonight I fed DT grilled wild Sockeye Salmon, quinoa with sautéed kale, garlic and pine nuts, with fresh tomato.
He is so spoiled. Me too, because you all know who cleaned up the mess on our deck.Though it seems unfair, another wind storm is predicted for tonight. As it type this, I can hear the winds starting to pick-up. Another sleepless night is in my future. Until my next update, I remain, your tired correspondent.