What a Weekend!

There has been some wild weather around the country over the past week.  Here in NC, we had a few really hot days - especially last Thursday & Friday.  Then, Friday night, we didn't actually have thunderstorms, but we had some crazy wind.  That wind did this:

That's an 80 foot tall oak tree that bit the dust in the wind.  It took out a portion of the fence, obviously.  Our pool is on the other side of that fence, and, though the tree did not damage the pool, it did deposit a lot of leaves and debris.  DW and I spent about three long, hot hours cleaning all that up Saturday morning.  Fortunately, the house was out of the tree's reach and was untouched.

  Of course, Saturday morning the girls had to go check it out . . .

That's Rachel and Megan walking around amidst the tree.  Rachel, in true Rachel fashion, was excessively concerned about the birds, squirrels, and other animals that may have been rendered homeless by the fallen tree.  She and Megan went on a brief search and rescue mission hoping to provide care to any injured creatures.  I scoffed at their overdramatic worrying.  Therefore, Rachel was very quick to find me a little later and point out something she found.

Although, this little bird was actually in the front yard (on the opposite side of the house from the tree), Rachel was certain the wind was the cause of its death.  For the record, I do not care for the taste of crow chickadee.

After cleaning up most of the leaves and sticks in the yard, and removing the debris from the pool, we did some frantic house cleaning and managed to run several errands.  All of it was in preparation for visitors.  Mitch, one of my best friends from high school who has remained a great friend through the years, was passing through our city with his family on a trip to visit some of their relatives.  They stopped in for an overnight stay.  They have two boys, 8 & 6, who brought a whole new level of energy to our house!! :-)  We enjoyed some pool time, a yummy dinner, some adult conversation time.  It was a great visit that doesn't happen nearly often enough.

Overall, it was a wild weekend.  The fallen tree threw a major wrench into my plans.  I still feel like I am chasing my tail trying to catch up, but, it was great to enjoy catching up with friends.  I figure the laundry, the dishes, and the tree will still be there tomorrow (and possibly the next day) anyway, won't they?!?

Hope you had a great weekend!