Tempest--but not in a Teapot

Yesterday we had severe weather warnings all day, but the weather was very nice--extremely hot. In the evening while still full daylight, the wind came up and I went outside to check the sky because we were to look for funnel clouds. About 5 miles away I saw the weirdest sky. Layers of clouds--the white upper layer over the black lower layer looked like a tidal wave, and the noise was like something alive--heavy breathing, but not roaring. I ran for the camera and by the time I got outside it was over our heads.

Remember, I said it had been full daylight. In moments it was almost darker than night. I used the night setting on the camera.
You can see just a glimpse of the sunlight to the south.
It was a scary night. Many noises like cannon fire, and the incessant wind. We feared for the greenhouses, since the power went out at 10:00. The greenhouses have 2 layers of plastic and the space between is inflated. This makes the outer skin very tight and smooth and relatively safe from wind damage. But without power, they deflate and flap in the wind. My clematis trellis was ripped off the wall about halfway up.

This is what we saw when we got up at 6 am. Out driveway full of spruce trees. Due to the earlier drought, the spruces developed an inordinate number of cones near the tops, so they were top-heavy. About 15 trees lost their tops, some at the very top, some at varying heights along the trunk. The driveway was impassable, so I missed going to church. But I sure sang a lot of praise--it could have been so much worse.
This tree had a diameter of about 16 inches (40 centimetres). It broke near the bottom.
Same tree. It split it right down into the root and lifted the root out of the ground for about 2 feet.


Kubota Man with his favorite toy, piling up the damaged trees. In fall after harvest, we'll pile them in the field behind him and in winter we will burn them.
We worked till 11 am. then had a coffee break. Then we went to work again. After lunch the wind came up again. We know we will lose more trees since there are still many with heavy tops. And now the shelterbelt is so much thinner, the remaining ones have less support.

Some neighbors dropped by while we were working--many metal grain bins were seen flying around the countryside. Our neighbour 4 miles down the road saw the new roof over her patio fly away. But it wasn't tornadoes. In Edmonton they clocked winds at 107 km/hour (over 64 mph). There was also a lot of tree damage and structural damage to buildings.

Now a happier picture. I have no new knitting to show you, so I decided to show you a WIP--the Norwegian Roses sweater from the Green Mountain Spinnery book. I had hoped to photograph the book's page along with the yarn and sleeve, but don't know where I put the book (another senior's moment). The reason the sleeve is done is that, when I start a new project, I often start with the sleeve instead of swatching. so if my gauge is right, I haven't wasted the knitting. If my gauge is off, I unravel, and I haven't lost anything. Obviously the gauge was right-spot-on or I wouldn't have finished the sleeve. I'm using Briggs and Little Regal 2-ply, a lovely, soft worsted weight. I can honestly say, that B&L yarns are my favorite yarns for everyday servicable knitting--great color selection and excellent price. I order it directly from the mill as the LYS's don't always carry the full color selection. Today there will be no knitting until late evening--I have to do laundry and work on the bridesmaids' dresses. The second fitting is done on the interlining, so now I'm safe to cut out the good fabric. I am planning to go to the city on Tuesday for a dentist app't., so to save the girls a long trip, I'll try to catch up with them on their turf.

Till next time: Grandmothers walk slowly and so rediscover oil rainbows, fallen leaves, puddles and worms in need of rescue. (Julie B. Jones)