Goodnight, Irene!

So we survived the worst of Hurricane Irene and we were lucky it wasn’t as bad as we thought it might be. At least for us. Yes, there’s some water in the basement and a leaking ceiling in the laundry room, but it could’ve been a heck of a lot worse. Our windows held, my tomato cages didn’t blow away, and so far (knock on wood) our trees are still standing. It’s still quite windy out there, so my fingers are still crossed.

Wind blowing the three big trees in the flower garden.

The tomato cages are still standing - wahoo!

It’s been a tough summer for my poor garden. First we had several heat waves, one while I was on vacation for two weeks; then we had a record breaking amount of rainfall in August; then a bit of an earthquake; and now Irene. My garden looks like someone’s been beating it with a stick and a dowsing it with a firehouse. Or like it’s been beaten by a category 1 hurricane packed full of rain.

Part of my wet and wind-blown garden.

I took a walk around the yard early this morning to see if there was any damage. Lots of twigs, but no downed trees or large limbs so far (fingers crossed). But I must say, this really struck me as funny — a branch about as long as I am tall landed straight up in one of my raised vegetable beds as if I were using it to stake my plants. Even Hurricane Irene has a sense of humor.

Branch that fell straight up in one of my raised vegetable beds.

So goodnight, Irene, and don’t come again. You are not welcome here.

Izzy inspects the not-so-welcoming welcome mat on the screened-in back porch.