Stormy Weather!

Not the Lena Horne song - the real deal! Last night was tornado warnings and flooding and strong winds, lots of thunder and lightning! Between about 7 p.m. last night and when things finally calmed down around 10 p.m. (although it continued raining moderately) we got 4-5 inches of rain in my area, but that wasn't even close to the record-breaking rains falling further to the west where at one point it was raining 14 inches an hour! (That's in addition to the 3-4 inches we received Thursday night-Friday morning). Strong winds too - I had to clean up a rather messy storm-tossed yard filled with leaves and downed branches from my mini grove of trees (back yard) this morning, and the deck was a wet soggy mess, but I didn't lose any major branches, the trees all stayed upright and there was no hail, so no damage to the siding. Polish Fest down at the lake front (it opened yesterday) would have been pelted, too, unfortunately. Today has dawned sunny, hot, but much less humid, and there is a breeze that will help dry things up a bit. The swimming pool that had appeared in my back yard last night is gone this morning, thank Goddess! Flooding continues along streams and rivers locally as the cresting water makes it way toward Lake Michigan. People will flock toward the lake front today and tomorrow to enjoy the great weather, so hopefully there will be a good turnout for the simul with GM Josh Friedel at the Southwest Chess Club tent this evening (sign up starts at 5:00 p.m.) The grass needs to be cut but it's full sun in the front (I missed the shady window between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m.) and too shady in the back yard and still too wet in both yards; I'll cut the front this evening after 6 p.m. when the sun swings around to the back of the house, giving me shade to work in, and I'll save the back yard cutting for tomorrow. I cleaned off the deck and it just needs to dry off. I'll settle there later with the lap top to enjoy this great weather while it lasts. These hot breezy dry days don't show up too often! While the elements were raging about me last evening, I was working on an article for Chessville - stay tuned.