The August Storm

A few days ago I was sitting at my computer, I'd just finished a blog and pushed "publish" when it happened.  A snap scared me out of my chair, lighting had come too close.  I soon discovered my computer was no longer on line, I found out later my blog wasn't published.   My DSL modem was no longer working, my computer time was finished until a new modem was purchased. 

I turned the computer off and the winds picked up.  Large branches fell onto the roof of our home.  Rain began and then hale.  The hale was marble size and a bigger.  I thought of my car, wondered if it would have more damage from these frozen fast falling ice balls.  The power flickered and then was out for good.  Then hard rain came, it lasted twenty minutes and was over.  We were without power for about twelve hours.

I went outside, everything was quiet, branches large and small littered the yard and big ones on the roof.  Leaves are torn and shredded throughout the yard.  Then I looked toward the tipi, out in the horse pasture.  A gaping hole was showing a half a dozen lodge poles on the south and west side.  The wind started working a tear at the bottom, and then it followed the seam line across the tipi, leaving the torn wound exposed to the world.  I was sick when I saw it.  I was expecting to have four more months of time in the tipi.  

I could stitch the canvas of the tipi together, maybe it would finish out the summer and fall.  After going out to look at the damage, I am fully aware how rotten the fabric is, the sun and weather have taken it's toll.  I will have to order another cover for those lodge poles.  This is not cheap proposition, I am pondering how to afford it.  This will certainly curtail my flute purchases if a new canvas is ordered.  Maybe I could suggest to my wonderful husband that it would be a nice early Christmas gift, I'll probably also have to suggest it could include Valentines, Birthday and Anniversary of 2011! 

Next week we were planning to spend a night out there, watching the meteor showers and then when we can no longer watch the night sky, crawl into a sleeping bag in the tipi and dream wonderful dreams.  At this moment, we could be in the tipi and still see the night sky, no need start the evening outside the lodge.  I'm trying to see the whole situation in a more positive way.  In truth, I am still looking for the positive, this moment I am still rather sad.  I know things will work out, I just really love my tipi and the quiet place it has held for me.  Just now, I'm a feeling little exposed to the world.