Wind Damage

So Alison and I were minding our own business downstairs about 6:30 tonight, letting a sick Jeff Reed relax when he bursts into the family room with news that there may be tornadoes on the loose. We're not in Kansas, but all good Hoosiers respect the tornado sirens, so we broke out the candles and stayed downstairs. Just as we'd gotten word thru the TV news that we should take cover, the power went out. We didn't have a battery-powered radio. It was like we were the last people on Earth.

So we did what anyone would do: we played Monopoly by candlelight. Two hours later, we still didn't have power. The wind, which had sounded just a whisper short of the fabled freight train, had died down and all was quiet. The power returned but the cable wasn't back on yet. We came upstairs. I checked the news on the laptop as soon as I could and learned that a big tree had fallen in the 56th and Carvel area. Hey, that's our area! We have a disgustingly healthy sweet gum and a sickly oak tree in our front yard, but we hadn't heard any crashes.

Jeff went to explore. It was our neighbor's (the Jansens) tree where Ali occasionally swings. A hue oak. It had fallen parallel to the house, which was lucky because it's a big-ass tree and could have taken out Mike's Superbowl ring. And maybe the kids, the cat or Beth!

I'm not saying I wanted trees to fall in my yard, but why would the wind take that beautiful oak and leave my sweet gum and its limbs full of sticky balls?! Not fair, man. Not fair.

So no need to worry: all is well on Castle Row. The Jansens will have a bit of yardwork to do, but it seem like no one was hurt. Let's hope that holds true for the rest of the path of the storm.

Update:

Apparently we were more blessed than I knew. Our street is only one block long, and the downed tree is on the west end of it. I found this morning that a power line is down at the east end of the street, and Alison's school -- maybe 1/4 or 1/2 mile away is closed. Wow. I may have to buy a lottery ticket!