Things That Go Bump in the Night

Bryan’s plane landed safely and he was home by midnight. We snuggled on the couch for awhile as we listened to the wind and watched David Letterman, then we went to bed. We live in a 1910 Craftsman, and our bedrooms are all on the second floor. We have no large trees around us, and only one window on the South side of the house where the wind was coming from, so I wasn’t too worried about severe damage to our home.

As the house rocked and the windows shook, my little family gathered around me. Scout, who normally sleeps in the dark and quiet basement, nosed her way into our room and paced lightly until settling on the floor next to the bed. Ruthie came in asking what that sound outside was. I started taking her back into her room, selfish for the limited space in our small bed. But as I entered her room and heard the gusts against her slanted walls, I remembered it was my job as a mom to protect my children and make them feel safe. So I snuggled her back into bed between Bryan and I where she slept for most of the night, oblivious to the storm in the safety of our bed. I layed awake until 2 in the morning, listening to the gusts, hearing objects drag down the street, feeling the bed shake. I was not afraid, but I was in awe.

We fared well compred to most. We never lost power. No trees fell on our house. I had gas in my car. Many people in the area will not see power until Wednesday or later – a full week after the storm. Here are pictures of the minor damage done to the outer parts of our home…

Remember this pretty deck with my new pretty lights?

Here’s what it looks like now…

What is left of our shed (with the lawn mower still standing!)…

At least we know the lock will hold!

By the way, did you notice the tree behind the shed? How all the leaves on it are dead, yet they didn’t blow off in the high winds? I find that creepy.