LESSON LEARNED

The lesson learned is that it does not pay to be too flighty about the weekend and those Friday Funnies and tweaking the Weather Gods.

Because yesterday they all struck back.

I was taking a wee bit of a nap when SWMBO burst in on my slumber to blurt out that there was a huge storm, the neighbor's roof was gone and so was our tree.

Huh?

Well I looked out to see heavy rain, hail and wind lashing the environs.

When it cleared off, here's what I found.

First, the neighbor.

It looked worse than it was.

The shingles and tarpaper had been ripped loose from his patio roof and were strewn across the roof of his house.

Our tree, however, was finito.

You (and the birds) will be happy to know, though, that the bird bath suffered no damage in spite of being thrown to the ground.

Nor did the Blue Cat on whom it landed.

SWMBO had been worrying for months about that tree.

She had complained about its lack of green growth this Spring and then when wind was causing it to rock she said "that sucker's goin' to go one of these days."

It apparently was an Elm and it apparently was suffering from Dutch Elm Disease.

So the roots were rotting away as was the tree itself.

But wait, Gentle Campers!

That's not the worst of it.

Lightning reportedly hit a power pole in our neighborhood and blasted it to pieces which pulled down several more poles.

That was yesterday at 2:52 p.m., the un-holy time the power ceased here.

Arizona Public Service Company workers have been on the job ever since, on a day where the temperature climbed to around 97 degrees Fahrenheit.

And finally at 6 p.m. tonight, some 27 hours later, we once again have electricity.

The A.C. has been working overtime, trying to catch up with a hot house.

But it feels great, as does the vodka going from my glass to my gullet.

It will all be good now.

But don't ever tweak those Weather Gods!