After the storm

BIG storm last night. The show was totally amazing.

We stood outside for quite a while watching the storm come up the valley and into the foothills. Then it hit us. Power was off and on for several hours. Wind blew like crazy - the news says gusts up to 70 mph. Rain poured but right here we had no hail.





So, this morning we surveyed the damage.

This was our little garden storage shed. Gone.






Although the shed itself was in pieces, the things in it survived with just a few exceptions. Most needed all the mud cleaned off; not much more.












The shade structure that once provided shelter for the dogs then moved over by the Tuff Shed to protect Scottie's tool area also bit the dust.


For this we ended up with bolt cutters to dismantle it since it was so twisted that we couldn't fold it up any more.

Kinda left us with a tad - just a tiny tad - of the idea of cleaning up after a flood or such.


Then, we moved on.

Fred Lowe, earth mover supreme, showed up to work on a project for us.

Fred is one of those amazing people who has made an art of what he does! We've thought for months that we needed a big bunch of fill dirt to finish off the east side of our yard.

Not so. Fred peeled so much dirt off the bank I simply couldn't believe it.

We, especially Scottie, got to man the hoses providing water to help the soil compact as he moved it.

So, the biggest part of the "hole" where our carport will ultimately go has been filled in. Drainage issues are being corrected.

I got to watch Fred swing the bucket of the end loader around and practically do finish grading with it! Amazing.

Fred comes back tomorrow. He and Scottie will extend the drain that runs under and build a collection area at the bottom of the steep bank. No more water problems on that side!


So, the guys got together to talk about what else could be done with just a little more effort.


Scottie will frame up an area for concrete and pour same. Fred will return, re-set our propane tank running the opposite way and re-plumb the gas line - and oh by the way, at the same time we'll gain a flat area for a turn around at the end of the future carport area.


So, out of the storm comes a silver lining. Cost us some money we didn't want to spend right now, but in the long run will have solved 2 or 3 major site problems at once. Fred's a master. Really.

I'm basically exhausted, in my jammies and in bed with my handy laptop before 7 PM. But, much was done today.