Our morning started out beautifully with warm sunshine and breezes. We didn't make it to morning services because our youngest is recuperating from a double ear infection and I thought it best to rest another day. Oldest son went out to mow the yard and I checked the weather report which read, "Possible thunderstorms this afternoon and evening." 

Since we were home for the day, I decided to take some time to make a nice lunch and bake a few goodies. I made Mini Pumpkin Butterscotch Muffins and had four loaves of bread dough rising on the counter when I got a call from my husband at the firehouse. We decided to pack up a little something for him to eat and stopped in for a visit. While we were there, the winds started to howl. Before we could even realize what was upon us, the power was gone and my husband and the other men were firing the generator. Then the calls started to come in. Trees down, power lines down...

Our two oldest boys (who are cadets on the fire department) grabbed their gear and stayed to assist the others, while my youngest and I headed home taking care to avoid the roads with downed trees.  We secured the animals and anything around the house, but when we saw the giant tree fall across our road, we fled and went to my sister's house up the hill. We were cozy and safe in her home and tried to reassure the children and each other.

What happened in the next five hours is something I have never seen. We had nearly constant winds in excess of 70 miles per hour. Our house is not visible from theirs due to the trees, but we could hear the winds howling through my woods and could see debris in the air. A few of the trees were bending over and the tops were breaking off.

After the winds subsided we headed for home. I picked up the older boys and they told of all that they had seen; large trees were uprooting everywhere, roofs blowing off, and even a building collapse. (Thankfully, there were no occupants at the time.) Our home was spared, but we lost several large trees and will have an extensive clean up. Our 1800's barn was hit hard, but fared well, while the newer one lost a door. The animals were safe, though a large tree fell near the chicken house.

The power company told my husband that it could be three days until the electricity would be restored. My mind went to my freezers and my heart sank. Still, I thanked the Lord that things were not worse. I know there are others who dealt with far worse from this storm. (My cousins who live near Galveston won't be returning to their home in quite some time.) I filled the lamps with oil and gathered the candles. The boys took turns playing the guitar and I nervously tidied up the kitchen (as best as I could) by the light of two oil lamps. Afterward, my youngest son and I read several of his favorite books.

It took a bit to get relaxed enough to sleep after the days events, but we all finally we settled in for bed, with prayers for those who were hit the hardest. As I prepared to extinguish the lamps, the power came back on. Thank you, Lord! Tomorrow, we'll survey the damage and begin to clean things up.