Limb Down on Liberty Street, Andover, MA
On Sunday, august 28, 2011 Tropical Storm Irene came to town. She blew down trees and limbs, blew out power, and caused minor flooding in Andover, Massachusetts. In Connecticut, where some of my family lives, she arrived as a hurricane and blew out power all over the town of Colchester. While my Mom lives near the center of town and has city water and sewer, my sister and many others live out in the country and need electricity to run the pump which brings water up from the well, so they are without power or water. As of this evening it is still out and it may not get turned back on until September 5th! So, I count myself lucky and blessed, because all we had was a minor inconvenience.
Ballerina Sculpture and bird feeders inside hallway.
I spent three days preparing for this storm. I shopped for groceries and supplies. I went to four stores before I found a small flashlight, which I never needed. On Saturday night I brought in two of my bird feeders and all the furniture from my back porch.
I left this feeder and suet out and the birds still came in the midst of the storm!
Only a few branches down in the yard. Later on a couple big ones fell in the woods. By late afternoon the rain had stopped and I put my other feeders back up. Then, Gus and I took the dog for a walk on the quiet streets.
These were the trees I feared the most, for they are close enough to the corner of our apartment to hit us. Our bedroom is at this corner, but by nightfall all was well and we went to sleep peacefully. The air after the storm was cool and dry. I felt the cool breeze on my face as I drifted off to sleep listening to the music of the wind in the trees…
In the morning, the one piece of wood I wished would come down was still up in the tree tops…
…but Gus was greeted by this surprise as he went to walk the dog!
Apparently it came down during the night, and we never even heard it! Had it fallen the opposite way, it would have hit the house!
Soon the road crews showed up and made short work of it. In less than 10 minutes they were…
Done!
Please come visit the new Our World Tuesday! site and if you feel like it, please participate!
Thanks Sandy, Sylvia, Gattina, Arija,and Lady Fi!
Which one of these stumps is not a stump? Click to enlarge and see if you can see something new I saw at the bog the day before the hurricane! More details to follow in a couple of days…
So please come back!
Glad your damage was small, although I know others weren't so lucky.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a young buck is visiting the bog.
Gaelyn, trust you to see that right off!
ReplyDeleteYes, I am fine and we are already back to normal here. Hope things start to change for others soon. I cannot believe the flooding in Vermont!
Thank goodness your damage was minimal and you are okay. I pray the others who are hardest hit can get back to normal soon. I see the deer in your pic. I recently returned from a road trip to the north and saw many deer but wasn't fast enough to get photos.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you are all right. I can see a deer's head there in the last shot. So sweet!
ReplyDeleteHi - seems that the storm did not do as much damage as people thought it may have done - which is a very good thing!
ReplyDeleteOne of the fun things to do now will be to find some gaps in local woodlands where trees have come down and keep an eye on them - something interesting almost always happens where you let light into woodland!
Cheers - Stewart M - Australia
You were lucky to just get a storm not really a cyclone. Our daughter was caught in the deluge driving towards the storm but from what I hear from my grandchildren, she seems to have come through all right.
ReplyDeleteI love that little buck hiding in your swamp. The whole picture looks like a painting.
I am glad Irene left you pretty much alone and didn't cause you any damage.
ReplyDeleteI spotted the little deer, we have some in our vicinity too, but they are good at hiding.
I always wonder how wildlife copes in storms and storms like hurricanes and tornados are among the most powerful. I also worry about deer and other animals finding food to eat after heavy snows. These are remarkable photos and I see the deer.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you and your extended family are all safe and sound, though perhaps inconvenienced with water and power. I hope you got to see some cool storm birds!
ReplyDeleteHi Kathie
ReplyDeleteI am glad to see that you are doing okay and did not suffer any extensive damage. The little buck is very stump like and well hidden.
Regards
Guy
I'm glad you were prepared even if the storm turned out to not be as bad as expected. Now that you have the flashlight you won't need to buy one the next time you might need it.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed that the birds were out in the storm.
Oh, the deer is very well camouflaged, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteJoyful, you have a good eye! This one popped up right in front of me. That shot was as it was going away. I got many more and I will post the story soon. Thanks for visiting and commenting!
ReplyDeleteLadyFi, Thank You!
Stewart, while all is fine at my apartment many more are suffering. There have been devastating floods in various places and the death toll is now up to 44 people. My family in CT is still without power. They are welcome to come stay with me but they want to stay with their homes. Still, you are right, it is not as bad as it could have been, but it is certainly bad enough.
Thanks for the birding tips. I hope I can get out there to see some. I took a short trip to the bog today but didn't see much.
Arija, thank you. I am glad your daughter is safe!
Jackie, that was the first time I had ever seen one at that location and I have been going there for almost a year now! What a treat!
Abe, I know that they somehow find cover but I also know that sometimes they die. We all have a precarious foothold on life and we never have a guarantee! Thank you for your compliment. I am not surprised you could find the deer!
Robert, I saw some before the storm at the bog but none since. Just the usual suspects in my yard and when I went to the bog today is was pretty quiet.
Guy, thank you for your concern and yes, I thought that young buck looked a lot like a stump in this photo!
EG Wow, a flashlight always comes in handy. I was amazed the birds were out in the storm because the day before they were mostly absent form my yard! Then the storm arrives and they were swamping the feeders! Oh well. They seem to survive just fine. And yes, that deer is well camouflaged!
A little late but I too am glad you got through okay without too much damage. I know others were not so lucky.
ReplyDeletedenise, thank you and you are never too late! I do feel so bad for those who have lost everything. The scene of the flooding in Vermont and Patterson, NJ are just heart breaking. Oh, and that little town of Windham in the Catskills of NY. How sad. I get a bit upset when people downplay this storm. Though it wasn't bad for everyone, it has certainly been hard on many. My mom lives in the center of a small town in CT and they are STILL without power tonight! People my husband works with are still without power in this state. It's going to be quite awhile before they are all up and running again. 260 roads have been wiped out or damaged in the state of Vermont.
ReplyDeleteKathie, I am glad you suffered no damage to the house and the yard. Thanks for your concerns about my safety. We are living on a hill. So the floods in downtown Brattleboro did not reach us. We too prepared for storm damage, but there was actually very little wind. We only saw the tree tops swaying, and before we knew it there was blue sky. My heart though goes out to all the people, and businesses, around us who were affected by the flood.
ReplyDeleteCalling by from Our World Tuesday, I am delighted to be part of this community and look forward to sharing photos with you and getting to know your part of the world. Thank goodness you and your family are safe.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathie, I am glad that your damage was minimal. We had a lot of trees done and our electric was out for a couple of days. I am glad it is over now. Love the cute deer in hiding.
ReplyDeleteGlad that limb fell the other way! You and I were lucky..not much damage.
ReplyDeleteMy parents and Sister are still without power and it looks like it may be another six days before they have it again.
Glad you and yours are ok. great post!! yes, I bet you wish that wayward branch would come down. Oh, I spotted your deer in the last pic
ReplyDelete