Hurricane Ike Still Hanging On!

Last night as we got ready for bed, the wind howled outside. We had been warned that remnants of Ike were making it's way through Western Pennsylvania. I had closed the umbrella on the deck, moved furniture, and slid the BBQ next to the house. We have had strong winds before and things tend to fly. We all made it into bed, but the house swayed and the wind still whistled. I heard a crash and headed downstairs. The swing had tipped over but was still on the deck. No big deal. It will stay flat through the night. About 11:30, the winds stopped. I was so tired and Sydney had already been in to find out if it was quieter in my room. NOPE. Finally I went to sleep dreading having to get Syd and myself up for Seminary. At around 1 am, Maddie comes in to tell me she's thirsty. At this point, I'm tired and I don't care. I send her back to bed with water and threaten her with lifetime grounding if she gets up again. I go back to sleep. 5:20 am, my phone rings, "There is no Seminiary because of the two hour delay" . What? So, I think nothing of it and I'm grateful for the extra sleep. I go to wake the kids up at 8 and take a look outside. Needless to say, Ike was still hanging on and took quite a hit at the trees in the back. I'm just glad the trees don't surround the house. Ike had a grudge on the U.S. of A and I don't know why. What did we do to you Ike?





I'm just glad it didn't hit the new arbor that Steve built. Maddie thought it was her personal limbo tree. What a dork!Steve will have some work to do when he gets home. Oh did I forget to say that he is in Boston for the week! He is never here when things like this happen. This tree is in the neighbors. Up it came, roots and all. It just lays across the path between our houses. What a storm!