Stormy Weather

Storms swept through the area last night, with at least three tornadoes in the metro area. The dogs and I spent some time in the basement during the worst of it. (Buster trotted down the basement stairs without any hesitation, and promptly trotted back up. The steps were too high for Gracie, so I had to carry her down and then go find Buster. He was hiding under his hassock. I wound up carrying him down too, this time closing the basement door; he spent the whole time perched on the top step, waiting to be let out again. Buster really doesn't like the basement. Can't blame him.... Gracie, on the other hand, once down had a grand old time, sniffing every dusty corner.)

Edwardsville's time under the gun was mercifully brief; we were able to come back up after about twenty minutes. It was not until this morning that I saw the damage we'd taken; one of my pears lost a major branch, which, in falling, took out my mailbox. I'll have to run over to Sears Hardware today....

Rainy Day

It is still raining, not heavily but steadily; like a marathon runner instead of a sprinter, it gives the air of being able to keep it up for a long time. This is a bit of a concern, because I'm running low on staple foods. Tomorrow being Easter, Shop'n'Save will be closed, and I suppose the same will be true of Schnuck's and Dierberg's. I may have to brave the rain today.

On closer examination, my mailbox turned out to be not broken but merely bent. I managed to shove the limb sideways enough that I could haul the mailbox up to a more-or-less upright position. It leans, but it stands. Of course, with the branch in the way, the mailman still won't be able to get to it....

By the way: as I anticipated, my lawn did not get mowed yesterday.