Half-masted, and there's a woman in the girls' bathroom

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I've added these pics from our drive into town where we saw this.

It looks as though the top of the spruce tree

was broken off by wind and fell on the flag

that was up for Memorial Day, 

then the treetop was blown up against the house.

I'd say both the flag pole and the tree are "half-masted".

Power winds of 80 mph tore 100-year-old maple trees out of the ground or broke them at the base last evening while we were shopping at Trader Joe's an hour from home. The drive home was safe, but the fields, driveways and roads were littered with fifty-foot trees and branches. Anxiety built as we approached the farm, wondering what we would find. But thankfully just one maple branch lay on the driveway, and sticks around the yard.

Power is out, however, until late Wednesday Thursday, because apparently a power station was hit. So we have to find alternate ways to wash (we have a well, which uses an electric pump), cook and power up devices like cell phones, laptops and the internet air card. The bottom photo is where I took a sponge bath and washed my hair this morning after working at home in the garden and getting dirt in my finger and toenails: the girls' bathroom at Don's elementary school.

The happy list:

• No one in the state of Michigan was seriously injured in this rush of storms, though around 100,000 homes are without power.
• Our home was not damaged, and there was little to clean up.
• Having laptops so we could get online last evening and find out the estimated time to power restoration and be in touch with family and friends.
• Being clean and getting my hair washed before going back to work tomorrow (today's a holiday here: Memorial Day, a memorable one).
• There's power at work (yes, this is good, there is much to catch up on after spring term).
• It's finally getting warm today, in fact HOT, around 90°F (32°C), but ha, no AC
• Peter and Andrea are coming over to play corn hole to celebrate the holiday this afternoon, and they're bringing sushi; beer is chilling on ice in the cooler at home while I finish up this post at a fourth grader's desk.
• A camp stove with propane gas for meals the next couple of days.
• No doubt more will float in on the hot breeze . . . 

I hope you are safe and enjoying Memorial Day if you are in the U.S., and a normal Monday everywhere else.

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