LEAF ME ALONE!

My hopes were dashed by all the sources that report on the weather. A huge cold front was making its way across the country, and there would be a clash with the warm air currently upon us. There could even be thunderstorms! Strong winds would carry the colder air into the region, and there were warnings posted on all the channels. That night when I first went out it was raining, and without the umbrella I was getting rather wet. But going back into the garage would mean leaving the dogs alone, and I was hesitant to do that since with a non-working flashlight keeping track of them was impossible. The rain had started just before I came outside, and now it was getting more serious. Watching my jeans get wet and not seeing the dogs do anything more than sniffing, I decided to go back inside. Announcing our arrival to my husband, Patches and Skittles headed for their food dishes and began eating voraciously. I've noticed that they eat better when I am there with them. I accept their affection and appreciate their loyalty, but the fact is that I'm usually near their food at the end of the night after our final walk and when my husband is getting ready for bed. He is calling me to see if I plan on coming into bed any time this year. I have to encourage the dogs to finish up.

By the time I got into bed, the sound of the rain had been replaced with a roaring, like the tornado that ripped through the area where we lived years ago. Could this new sound be the predicted wind? This was no breeze. It was something BIG! I was grateful that my husband had brought the emptied garbage can back down, since my wheelchair is not a vehicle designed for high speed chases. The next morning the wind was blowing up at about 30 mph with gusts up to 60. Skittles and Patches made a hasty trip out for business, but while they were out I noticed the things that the wind had blown into the yard. First was what looked like a trash can, but in a rectangular shape and with wheels. It had come to rest next to the tree line. This was NOT a small light object. If the wind could blow this into our back yard, what else was coming?

The wind persisted throughout the day, and I envisioned a yard filled with all the neighbors' outdoor possessions and a driveway filled with every branch on the trees that lined it. I feared that our giant oaks might lose even more of themselves. Our customary walks were shorter than the half hour I usually gave them and the dogs didn't seem to mind. I wondered if we would have any major damage from this wind. The year after we first moved here, Hurricane Floyd ripped through and took one of the willow trees out by the roots. All the next night the wind persisted. It roared. It howled. Branches banged against the windows. The cats huddled together on the couch seeking the comfort of each other's furry bodies. I had a restless sleep, wondering if anything was going to crash down on our roof.

The next morning the wind was still blowing furiously. Everything that could be blown was. Trees swayed frantically in the steady wind and bent nearly to the ground in the gusts. I wondered how long it would be before we lost power to the house. The news on my computer was of major power outages, poles broken off, and wires down everywhere. No one used the word "Nor'easter" but they could have. Actually the words that came to my mind were "typhoon", "hurricane", "blizzard", and "apocalypse". I was hoping that my husband wouldn't try to drive to work in the storm, but he insisted. When he got there he emailed me to say that he was safe, but that there were "warning cones" on our local roads where fallen trees had blocked them. He had simply driven around.