Oh, Toto...

Yes, kind neighbors to the east of me in my cul-de-sac, that was my barbecue cover flying, lofty as a birthday balloon, over your direction. I am glad to say it stopped on my side of the fence, around the corner, between your house and mine so I did not have to come pester you for it. I am really glad that my patio umbrella stayed on this side of the fence. No, I am not kidding.

The wind kicked up this evening something fierce! I was talking to Liann on the phone when it got dark outside, the plants started to move a little, then sway, then bend horizontally from west to east in earnest. I had lowered the umbrella earlier, but when I saw what was going on, I yelled to Liann that I had to go, ran outside, and stood there getting blasted with wind, wondering stupidly what to do with the umbrella. If I yanked it out of the table in that wind, I was pretty convinced they would find me later in downtown Boise, like a disheveled cousin of Mary Poppins. But the wind was yanking so hard and making the table and umbrella bounce up and down, that I figured I would risk flying through my neighbor's windows in an attempt to save the lovely table and umbrella my parents and Michael and Joanna bought me when they were up here in June. I pulled it out and hustle, hustle, tucked it over the edge of my little wooden patio Whew!

One of my lilac bushes (actually it's more of a tree, a late-blooming variety, I think--I have four others that are definitely "bushier" and bloomed early in summer), I am sad to say, did not fair quite so well. Early in summer, here's a bit of the backyard, with the lilac "bushes" in bloom. The lilac "tree" is the really wispy thing to the right of the lilacs already in bloom.



Here is it tonight, much fuller, and until about 7:00 PM, was standing pretty vertical. Bummer!

I went out to try to see what I might need to drag to the curb for the trash dudes, but I can't really tell until I climb up in the dirt. Tomorrow, maybe.

Time for dinner! And a bath after standing in the wind with plastic shopping bags and other debris and greenery whizzing past my head. Hang on, Toto!

EDIT: Last night, 9 homes burned down and 10 others were damaged in Southest Boise in what started out as a grass fire but got whipped into a housing area when 50 mph winds kicked in. I no longer feel sad about my tree, but rather very grateful I have a house. One person was killed in the fires. Please pray for these homeowners and their families!