Our Weekend

Hello, everyone!
Last week the temperatures soared well into the 90's, and with the added humidity, the "real feel" temperature was 100+ degrees. It was sticky to say the least.  Friday night very severe thunderstorms and damaging winds moved throughout our state; some even say we may have experienced a tornado, which is quite uncommon in our neck of the woods.  Many trees were uprooted and broken off; we lost power, and one of our new push-out windows in the laundry room was ripped off the hinges, even though it was closed before the storm hit. Although Front Forty Farm was a bit wounded, we are very thankful that everyone is safe, and besides the window, no other damage was done to the house or barn. Sometimes it takes events like this storm to remind us of how truly fortunate and blessed we are.  Experiencing this storm brought to mind the many victims of the devastating tornadoes, hurricanes and wildfires that have ravaged our country this year. As my heart goes out to these dear people, I am reminded to be thankful that this seemingly large tempest was minor in comparison. 

Except for a small ding on the roof, the barn was untouched when this tree fell, and all the animals were tucked safely in there stalls when the storm hit. If the tree had fallen in the other direction, it would have landed on my car which was parked only a few feet away.

This large branch fell in the courtyard, but not one flower in the nearby garden was crushed or even bent.

The crown of this large maple tree (our hammock was attached to it) snapped off, creating a very dangerous situation.  Although it was a bit of a nail biter, Hubby and his father, thankfully, were able to safely fell the tree and the broken top.

The apple trees were leaning heavily to one side.  This one came very close to being uprooted, but only seven apples dropped to the ground.  All the trees in our small orchard needed to be staked to help them stand upright. We are hoping that their roots will eventually work back down into the earth, stabilizing the trees as they continue to grow.
The sugar snap peas couldn't withstand the force of the powerful winds, and they let go of their supporting fence, but the rest of the garden was unscathed.

A few days before the storm hit, Hubby was discussing with me his concern about getting our supply of firewood for the upcoming winter. In years past, we have purchased logs and had them delivered.  Hubby would only have to split and stack the wood, but last year in an attempt to save money, he cut is own logs.  We were trying to decide what route to take this year since both time and money are a bit tight.  Well, we now have our answer...with 27 trees down (and still counting), we have a good start to our firewood needs. Although we were very sad, and even a bit heart-broken, over losing some beautiful old trees, we were reminded to look for the positive things that hide themselves in the trials that are sent our way. 

So...after a long, hard day of clean-up, Sunday was our day of rest. We even skipped church.  We slept in, ate pancakes and sausage for brunch and relished in the thought of doing nothing.

There was lots of bubble play in the kiddie pool.

Some reading and lounging in the sun..

This cat lover spent quality time with his buddies...

Hubby did a safety check of the swings.

Of course, once the swings were proclaimed safe, this Little One jumped on.

I filled my bird feeders and played with the camera on my new phone.

We had ice cream, and the Littles snuggled on the couch with a movie.

Hubby and I ended the relaxing day with a plate of olives, crusty bread and cheese while watching Sunday night Masterpiece Theater.

A weekend that came roaring in like a lion, peacefully went out like a lamb.