7/28/17 - Donuts & a lightning strike

Poirot

Poirot

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Good morning all........here is more of the saga of Julian's family and the tree that exploded when hit by lightning. It seems the top half of this very old tree literally exploded, sounding like a bomb. Julian screamed, was hysterical, his mom had to hand baby Colton to her friend, as he insisted on her. They ran out of the house to car, and drove away, actually around. Fire Dept. came, would not allow them anywhere near the house, turned off the power, it was still on, carefully checked everything.

When the tree exploded, the wood all turned into something like spears, hit the roof, the sides of the house. Sharp enough and with enough force they went thru the roof, the attic, and the ceiling into the main (master) bedroom. Debris all over. Ins. company sent a crew over to cut off that part of the tree (it must be next to the house) and one guy fell thru the roof, ceiling in the hallway. (not hurt) Nothing happened to the boys' room, the parents have to sleep downstairs in living room. Huge mess.

Julian calmed down when away from home, but got upset and hysterical again when they got back home, he was calling it "the monster" being there. Firemen said it was o.k. to enter the house.

A tarp is on the roof, now. But Julian get upset over loud noises, and when the repairs start....... He got really upset once when out for a walk, and they passed a bldg undergoing renovations, carpenter was sawing a piece of wood. That poor little boy.

I have seen trees hit by lightning, usually stripping off bark or the tree falls over...maybe half the tree. But never heard of one exploding. By the way, If I was caught in a thunder and lightning storm outside, I would NEVER stand under a tree!

sunny here, gonna hit 80. Hope everyone has a good day, and Noel is on the recovery train. Prayers for Noel & for Julian & fam. KathyLu is having surgery this a.m. (major). Say a prayer for her, too.
 
Awww, those poor kids and thinking it was a monster. I'm sure that must have been very scary for everyone. Glad no one was hurt. I've never heard of a tree just exploding. That is a crazy story Poirot!!

Thinking of KathyLu and Noel. Hope everything goes alright for them both.

Recently, a bunch of us were relating our bear stories and I have to share this link. A RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) officer in Waterton Lakes National Park and a black bear. Can't get much more Canadian than that. LOL! Living the stereotype!! LOL! But in all honesty, RCMP officers are wearing their traditional uniforms in the National Parks to celebrate Canad's 150th.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/mountie-bear-waterton-red-serge-1.4224835
(this is the news article)

(This is the youtube video)

Well, this heat isn't looking like it is going to let up anytime soon. Over the next 2 weeks temperatures will range from 29*C to 35*C (84.2*F to 95*F). Last night at 9:00pm it was still 29*C. I think this summer is going to be a record for hottest summer. Where we are camping this weekend, is just missing the fire ban however I would not be surprised if it ends up reaching our campground. More fires have started in B.C.

Have a good weekend everyone and stay safe.
 
Good morning everyone. It is going to be another hot humid one here so not doing much. Taking friend Jim and his lady to dinner if he feels up to it when they get back from medical appointments at the VA in Pittsburgh.

Poirot - Oh my goodness. Things just never end for your granddaughter and her family. Prayers going up for them, but especially Julian.

Trees here have exploded when hit. It must be from the sap / water getting super hot from the lightning.

Muzza- Have a great time camping. I hope mama bear wasn't lurking around when the officer was making the cub move off.
 
Oh, I love seeing a Mountie in his Red uniform. (did not know they really no longer wear them!!) That series on PBS here, Where Goes the Heart....the one guy always appears in that red uniform, frequently riding his horse, (yes, a period series). Love it.
 
Good Morning,

Poirot - so glad that your granddaughter and the kids are okay. That is so so scary.

Muzz - love the video.

RS - hope your friends are up for going out to dinner. I'm sure you'll all have a wonderful time.

Well last night was lots of laundry washing and drying. After my dentist appointment, I stopped to buy more trash bags, so we can switch to new bags for everything coming out of the dryer. The bags the clothes and stuff are coming out of are going straight outside to the trash can.

On top of everything else going on, the dentist told me I have 5 little cavities. I guess that's what I get for going 2 years between cleanings. I guess time really got away from me on that. I just want to sleep for a week and wake up to everything back to normal. Sheesh.

Praying for Noel & KathyLu

Hope you all are having a better day than I am.
 
Muzza, I thought the RCMP were still wearing those red jackets. Do they still get around on horses, and dog sleds? Are your bars still male/female segregated, and do they close during supper time? :)

I hope you will continue to have a great camping experience.

I managed to get through my pre-surgery physical yesterday (having some eye work next week.) I am very grateful that the car has a good GPS system; probably would have given up on finding the clinic without it. The trip would have made a good video. :) It would have been impossible for the clinic staff to have been any nicer. I am blessed to have great healthcare services available.

Poirot, that is one very scary lightning story! I hope the children quickly get over their traumatic experience.

A peaceful day to everyone!
 
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Good Morning. Prayers for Kathy Lu and Noel.

I have a friend who lived in Ohio when lightning hit the tree next to the house. It too exploded. She was maybe 6 at the time. She always had a fear of thunder and lightning, which I thought was silly. Being a native Californian living in Los Angeles and then the San Francisco Bay Area, we rarely ever had storms that included thunder and lightning.

Fast forward decades. They've moved to California, we graduate from high school and as a "gift" to ourselves, we take a vacation going to Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone and eventually somewhere in the Midwest. She is driving and a big ole storm fires up. I'm thinking it's neat when lightning fires up and hits the ground MILES away, but still it was visible. And off the road we go. She is in a total panic and is driving off road away from the strike.

That's when the fun started. Finally got the car stopped and her out of the car. Calming wasn't possible as the storm was now upon us. So I shoved her back into the car after putting the passenger seat back as far as it would go and covering her with sleeping bags. I no longer think fear of things is silly.

Manda - I hope good news comes your way.

Muzz - have fun camping.

It's the weekend. Whoo hooo.
 
Another day at home. I overslept because I forgot to turn alarm on. Goldie
and I only went twice around this morning. After breakfast, I worked in the
garage awhile. I cleaned off plastic shelving and realized when I put together
I put last shelf upside down. Easy to fix, but I had to wash it off outside since dirty.

Poirot, I'm glad your granddaughter and family are able to be in their house.
Sorry to hear Julian was so upset. Prayers for them.

Prayers for Noel and KathyLu

Muzzaman, I hope this camping trip better than last weekend.

manda, sorry to hear about your dentist report.

Prayers for everyone. We all seem to need one
 
Good morning. So many things going on with some of you or your families. Manda, I was thinking about you and the bedbug problem when I first woke up this morning. Now I see you've got so much else going on in addition to that. Bless you.

Robin, your poor friend. I can imagine someone being that way. My sister was like that when there was any threat of tornado.

A. Guy, I didn't know you were having the eye surgery. You are really getting worked over. I'm glad you have good medical care too.

Squirrel, I hope Jim is feeling up to the dinner. Have a good time!

Muzz, thanks for the video of the Mountie and the black bear. I had to wonder if he would ever catch up to that little bear. Also, I'm still wondering about the "itchy swimming water" thing you mentioned the other day. I'd never heard of anything like that. I can't imagine why anyone would knowingly go into it.

Poirot, thank you for letting us know about KathyLu. She's been through more with surgeries than most can imagine. My heart goes out to little Julian and his family. One of my grandsons is on the autism spectrum. He went through a lot in his preschool years but thankfully, he functions pretty normally now. But in the early years he was, not surprisingly, extra sensitive to sounds, lights, etc. The doctors said his hearing was like that of a dog--so enhanced that ordinary sounds were overwhelming to him. Even an airplane flying over way high up would be stressful to him, while the rest of us would not even be consciously aware of it. Not saying your Julian has autism, but I'm thinking his hearing may be a lot more sensitive than most so a noise like a tree exploding from lighting would be so very terrifying to him. I hope they can get back to normal soon. What a mess for the whole family!

Kat, I'm amazed at how you are so disciplined and set your alarm to get up regularly each day, even on days when you don't have to be at a certain place at a set time. Thank you for your concern and prayers for all of us.

Hoping Noel is improving. Kt, I hope your condition is improving as well. Shan, I was thinking about your upcoming surgery this morning too.

I've been having migraines all week. Feeling really crummy. Going to go crawl into my corner now.
 
@katmouse If you are cleaning garages, I have one that could use some help. :)

@robinsnest - It's funny what we might have a fear of others would just shake their heads. I have a fear of wasps and hornets. Bumble bees and honey bees I'm fine with because I just tell myself they aren't paying attention to me and I actually end up watching them go from flower to flower. Wasps and hornets, no way. Those little mothers are out to getchya!! LOL!

@A. Guy - Funny you should mention that because the RCMP have just in the last year made some upgrades. They've done away with the dog sleds and are just riding their horses. Studies have shown and proven that when chasing down a hardened criminal, dog sleds cannot make the 90 degree corners as well as a horse. Plus the government has just poured 100's of dollars into expanding and improving our igloo prisons. They will now all be equipped with icicles for prison bars, just wait to those criminals place their tongues on one of those bars. And speaking of bars, men and women may fraternize in the same room but only cheap Tuesdays. It's funny, my mom and I and some of their friends were telling us about the separate men and women's side of bars and that was in the 60's.

@Poirot - Mostly the traditional uniforms are worn in National Parks or other places that tourists visit and for special ceremonies, RCMP musical horse ride, but they have another everyday uniform they wear while on duty. It does give us a sense of pride though when we do see them wearing them.

@redsquirrel - Hope you have a nice dinner with Jim and friend.

@mandamiee - IF it doesn't rain it pours. If I were near you I'd give you a hand with all of the laundry that will need to be done. I'm so sorry about the bugs.

@Old Cowgirl - Apparently swimmers itch is a parasite that gets on your skin and from what I read on the board, it will typically begin to irritate and itch your skin after you've dried off. I cannot fathom why parents would let their kids swim in the water either when the swimmers itch warning was at extreme. I hope your migraines get better. I do not get them but have many friends that do and it just completely wipes them out.

Well, not sure if we are going to camping now or not. The fire ban reached the area we had planned on camping at and no fires are allowed, that includes, propane stoves, bbq, propane fire rings. They will allow a propane stove to be used but only for cooking. Not sure what else I'd use this for but ok. LOL! Our vehicle is filled, we're all packed, food is ready so I'm saying we should still go but my other half is not sure now.
 
Muzz - enjoy your camping trip. I'm with Kat, you can come camp in my yard. I'll even set up my camper so you don't have to bring yours, if you really want to help with the laundry. We don't have a fire ban either so I'll fire up the new grill for you. :rotfl:

Robin - being that afraid of lightning would be horrible, wow.

OC - oh honey, I hope your migraine passes soon. Don't you worry about me and the bugs, we'll make it through eventually. I just wish hubby would agree to go to a laundromat to get this laundry done way faster.
 
Good afternoon everyone. Summer break is starting to wind down as I'm buying school supplies and the girls' enrollment for school is next week. They start mid-August. My sister-in-law and her family are camping this weekend and they asked for the girls to join them. Hubby works day shift this weekend, so maybe I can get some cleaning and stuff done while I have the house to myself. I hope all is well with everyone.
 
Poirot so glad your family is ok! What a mess to go through.

Muzz thanks for the video. Have a great time camping if you go. We have the fire bans here also.

RS - I hope your dinner plans are still on.

Amanda - I'm with you, it would be so much easier to go to the laundromat and get it all done at once. Try and have a good weekend. Maybe, just maybe, you can get a break.

A Guy - good luck with your surgery next week. I will keep you in my prayers

Robinsnest - sounds like you and your friend are lucky to be alive.

Kat - good luck getting your garage cleaned out.

OC - so sorry your migraine is back. My daughter has had so many of them this summer. It's so sad to watch her. The headache is bad enough, and then when it subsides, for the next couple of days she is in a fog. I will keep you in my prayers.

I'm hoping to keep really busy this weekend to take my mind off of surgery on Monday. I'm quite the worry-wart so if I can keep busy, maybe that will help.

Have a great day.
 
I can believe that, Shanrick. Seems they go from Northern B.C. all the down into Washington and I wouldn't be surprised Oregon and California as well.

Katmouse - I think we are gong to spend the night in our trailer on our driveway. LOL! Not camping but just love hanging out in the trailer. Sometimes when we've been on the driveway working on the tent trailer, packing and such, some of our neighbours will pop by and we end up just sitting on the driveway under the awning having some drinks and visiting.

We have decided that we are going to do a bunch things around the city. We have an old 3 legged cast iron wood burning stove that was given to us by a friend and has been sitting outside for the last 4 years. The other night we finally dropped it off to a guy who is white washing sand blasting it to put in our living room as a side table and magazine holder or put it in our shade and fern garden with candles inside of it for when we sit out there.

My husband researched where this stove came from and he has found out that it was made in 1860 something and was in an old house in a town called Canmore, about 45 minutes west of Calgary. We are picking it up tonight and excited to see how it turns out.
 
Good afternoon all,

Sending lots of love and prayers for Noel and KathyLu, as well as for your family, Poirot. Hope all of that damage is repaired soon. Glad to hear that everyone is safe. How scary.

Sunny and in the low 80sF here in San Diego today. The fog is hovering on the coast much of the time, but clears away for a few hours, and it's still warm. My dad and I just got back from the gym (no breaks! especially since we've eating quite a bit of unhealthy food while on vacation). Gonna go out for dinner probably in an hour or so.

My mom's job laid off all the employees, and claims to be able to rehire them all back in 3 weeks, but my mom doubts that. Luckily she'd gotten another job in advance. My dad also has a job interview here in a few days. So far things are looking up on that front.

Hope everyone has a nice night.
 
Surgery went well yesterday and check up today. Left eye 20/50 before and after cataracts removed. Retinopathy damage the reason. Right eye post op today 20/25. Hoping for more healing and better slightly next Fridays check up. Your prayers are so appreciated!
 
OC, yeah my dad is leaving his job on September 10th. Pays well but the people there are incompetent and/or rude, and he's tired of it. He got a great job offer with management at a company he used to work for here in San Diego that he is considering, but also got an offer to be a professor back home, so he may take that, as he loves teaching.

Noel, so glad to hear everything went well.
 
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