Storm Bound

Here in East Valley area of the Valley of the Sun, we are nearing the end of our seasonal monsoon activity. And Mother Nature has decided to show her stuff. Earlier in the week we had a microburst hit this community. Many old eucalyptus trees were uprooted, most fell harmlessly in open areas, one huge benefit from our community being laid out when there was generosity with the land. There were a few unfortunate home owners that experienced dwelling damage and one in particular on the boulevard took the hardest hit.

I have a four and half year old reroof using white Maxitile and since my property is situated with the east side on one cul-de-sac and the south is adjacent to property on another, it forms a too effective wind tunnel condition which lifted some of the tile off and crashed it to the ground about twenty feet away,shattering in surprisingly small pieces......


So since this happened just before dark and it was still raining steadily I waited until morning to attempt to see what all had happened and set up the cycle of contacting the insurer and the roofer. I've owned this residence since 1987 when we had it built and have never had to make a claim on my homeowner's insurance, and as you might guess,I probably will foot the bill myself because of the deductible.

The roofer had quite a tale to tell when he arrived. His home in the nearest town east, was hit by lightning, burning a hole through the roof to the ceiling, so he had to tend to his own damage before starting on calls from others. He intended to come today and fix my damage, but Mother Nature changed all that. We had storm, lots of rain, intermittent winds, but not strong enough to do any but minor damage. However, it was a nerve-wracking couple of hours. There must have been some lightning hits close by, judging from the lightning being followed so instantly by the cracking thunder.

Scary enough just from the noise. The day was too dark for reading, no idea where my booklite is stored, had unplugged all the electronic toys, paced the floor, trying to walk off the tension. A two or three hour storm here is long by our standards, usually they move in and out rapidly, that being one of the reasons this is arid country.

Afternoon is here and weather appears calm, no more threatening skies, pyrotechnics or sound show. Now to decide if I want to read or surf the net, or watch the tube, or if as a last resort all of that is dull, I could dust or iron. On the other hand, come to think of it, maybe now that it is quiet I will catch up on some sleep.Who knows we might have a repeat show overnight.

graysmoke