See the dust rising from the ground? Not good!
Welcome! We sure had a nasty storm last night at the farm. I had just finished working and could see the clouds darkening and lowering. The AM car radio was crackling almost continuously with static, indicating a lot of lightening activity. I raced back to the farm, watching the sky start to turn green – an indication of clouds containing hail.
Thankfully, there is a metal machine shed on the farm. I called to Serena. She and kitty Bear Bear climbed into the van and we pulled inside. While the lightning was cracking, I was able to get the other car in just before the storm hit.
The hail that fell was roughly the size of a quarter. The cats were terrified by the sound of the precipitation beating on the metal roof. While watching the storm, I had to plug both ears because the sound was deafening. It sounded like a giant snare drum being shot by hundreds of machine guns.
Eventually the storm relented and I walked out to survey the farm. There was no damage as far as one could see but the power to the farmhouse had been knocked out. No problem – the two cats and I watched TV and relaxed. Eventually another storm passed through during the night but it was not severe… just enough to wake a person up listening to the “snare drum”.
This morning it was foggy outside. The picture to the right was taken looking west at a neighboring farm.
Fog like this will be a common sight later in the summer. When the corn comes up (most has not emerged yet), often you will see a haze of fog that “burns off” as the sun comes up and the moisture is released from the plants back into the atmosphere. The technical term is “evapotranspiration” for what that’s worth!
Bear Bear looking up from the step area.
Thunderstorms aside, everything is going great. At work I’m finding that even a 48.5 year old can still contribute. We have a great crew, the store runs very efficiently, and the work is a lot of fun! Enjoying what you do makes a huge difference.
Last night (after the mid-shift lunch break) I worked another 5 hours straight without a break – something I didn’t think possible at this age and weight. If a place treats you nicely, you go the extra mile. That doesn’t sound like stressed out person from a couple of months ago!
Now it’s time to relax for the next couple of days. The plan is to do a little fishing tomorrow since the streams will be stocked up for Memorial Day (and I will be working that day). Hopefully, there will be some pictures to share.
Take care and thanks for visiting today.
Brad and Serena
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Yes, it’s that “storm” time of year. I remember when I was in Colorado how scary those green clouds were – but there, they usually meant tornadoes, not hail. Not that we didn’t have our share of the icy stuff; occasionally we’d get so much it’d look like snow. But we did have a few tornadoes while I was out there, and I think your area gets them too. So stay safe, OK? 🙂
I’m glad your job is going well. I found some online contract work which doesn’t pay much, but it’s better than nothing. Now maybe I can save for a van… I’d love to get out of this area (Eastern PA) and back out West, I miss it a lot.
Enjoy your time off!
Hi Meg, we do get tornadoes in Iowa and this is the prime time for them. I’ve heard it said by the TV weather guys that the greenish tint to the clouds is the hail in the clouds and it is usually in the most turbulent part of the storm – usually the SW corner where the tornadoes form… If you see green, you know it’s bad news: hail, or worse yet, tornadoes.
I understand about working and not getting paid a lot. At McDonalds, I’m not getting rich… Imagine that. But having a fun crew to work with, making some cash, and staying busy not much cash is going out… It’s sort of like being on an exercise plan and being too tired to eat. 🙂 Take care! — VT
Hello Mr. Van Trekker,
I recall a movie called “Twister,” where people who live in a van were chased by a tornado. Or maybe they chased the tornado. I forget which.
In any case, I hope your life is less traumatic than it was for the characters played by Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton!
Todd
Hi Todd. I used to be one of the people who was storm spotter for the amateur radio club in town. Not any more! I’m done playing “cat-and-mouse” with Mother Nature. She wins some times.
Life is not so dramatic or traumatic these days. I’ve made a lot of friends at the Golden Arches and really enjoy it there. It’s a lot of fun… many things are these days! No stress helps!
Nice to hear you are enjoying yourself and not stressed out anymore.
We sometimes get hail here and when it hits the awning it is load, poor Fred doesn’t much like the noise either.
Hi Jo and thank you! I’m really enjoying the new job. Like any job, there are good and bad aspects but I’ve been blessed enough to work at a very well run store. This corporation has done so much to streamline its processes that the work is much easier, more fun, and busy enough to make the time fly by. It’s actually influencing where I intend to move later this year – I’d like to keep working for the “golden arches”…
I hear ya bout the hail. 10 miles away the hail was so large it broke car windows and did a lot of damage… I got lucky the other night!
– VT
No Trust me Brad
Working at Mickey D’s I’d always have a 6′ hose into a gallon of frosty chocolate shake.
Last week I was at a little shack – only 13,000 sq ft – asking just a hair under $6 million – where the poor owner can’t keep up with the maintenance on this 1,500 sq ft indoor pool & 10 bathrooms… So if you wanna see how the rich who are going to the poor house are roughing it check this out. The buyer almost burned the shack down to the ground because the owner was so poor he turned the water off to the steam generator & it caught on fire when water ran out. Then we got trapped in the Elevator :-)) for 15 minutes.
https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=2ea7d76e0a92d2b3&id=2EA7D76E0A92D2B3%2125526&ithint=folder,.JPG&authkey=!AL6iRCBCoVKH_98
Today I went to a 5,000 sq ft shack selling for $3.8 Mill & they were having a freaking flea market sale WTF ? in 1995 they got the house for $1 mill – so I say just give the shit away, an hour before the sale 10 people were in line waiting to pick the bones, I bet there were no good deals at all – The owner 50+ looked like she spent her whole $2.8 million house profit on failed plastic surgery on her face… NEED i post a picture of REALLY UGLY !!
Then I left to get a Vietnamese BBQ pork sandwich and they wanted almost $4 now – used to be $1 in 1987 – then I could eat 5 at a time….so I stroked out, just last week they were at $3.25
Enough job bashing today
Cheers Jerry
LOL. I wish I had one of those Vietnamese BBQ pork sandwiches. My breakfast sandwich was built on an English muffin. I believe we are entering a phase of hyperinflation. Every couple of weeks it seems like the grocery stores are raising prices higher, higher, and higher! On $7.25 I am making the money stretch out. Eating my own fish 3 or 4 days a week is economical. Once I’m living much closer, it means at least 4 or 5 meals a week for $2 or $3 worth of gas.
I wish I could see the lifestyles of the artificially rich that you were describing. When I worked as a programmer, I saw multiple people lose their palaces. Usually it was something like two strapped salary workers who were married and struggling to get the house paid for. The husband cheated, the marriage folded, and so forth… It’s good not be in all that mess. LOL.
Take care! Thanks for commenting, Jerry!