365 day 238 let's talk about the freak storm

7:12pm last night... FINALLY sitting down to try and get my blog post down. I see a FB status saying their street was getting flooded. Look outside and think 'REALLY?' and get to work.

At this point Ro is now crying so I go up and try to get him to sleep. He finally gives in. Back at my table (yes - still the kitchen one) at 7:30.

All of a sudden the wind is whipping around. At 7:40 Blinds are banging and upstairs doors are slamming. I rush upstairs and close the kids windows are ours (the wind almost slammed ours sut right on me it was so crazy). Ran back downstairs and try to shut the one on the main floor. And I can't. It's off it's track. Run downstairs to get Dion to shut the window. He's all ok ok in a minute.... stupid window. (happens all the time) I come back upstairs and WHAM. Hail EVERYWHERE. I can't see out the windows at all. Complete whiteout. I run back downstairs yelling at Dion to GET UP HERE NOW. So he closes the window and we both just watch. INSANE. Could see anything.... anywhere. But the noise - oh the noise. It was deafening. I even grabbed the camcorder!
It was over pretty quick. At 7:54 Dion went back to his game downstairs and I grabbed the camera as the hail had stopped and it was just raining. I opened the front door and was immediately soked. Carpet, me, the walls, the floor, everything. SOAKED. The rain was coming directly in our house. So I slammed the door. Looked out the window. And saw.............

The street. OMG. The street? Where is our tree??? Our big beautiful street blocking evergreen? The one that had been doing poorly but we thought we were saving???? Why oh why am I seeing the STREET from our window?????
felling sick I opened the door again. And yep. There was our tree. SNAPPED. Luckily it missed our house, our vehicles, and the newighbours house. Who, btw, where standing at THEIR windows mouthing 'PHEW' and wiping their brows.

I ran down to get Dion and then went out to take pictures. I was soaked... but I did it. Then the rain stopped. And it was gorgeous out! And all out neighbours came out. Dion called the news. Who did take pictures. Noone could believe the storm that ripped through here. Noone. Our street was flooded. Our sidewalk gone. And our tree snapped.

Then I came in. And the sirens started. Ongoing all night. Which woke the kids. So I spent the night with Ro.
In the morning I drove through Shawnessy and saw a HUGE tree that must have hit their house but not gone through. Shawnessy was in tatters and people were out cleaning. On my walk through Somerset though - you could barely tell a storm came through. AGAIN I SAY - Calgary has the WEIRDEST weather!!!

We almost always miss all the exciting storms. That will be all for my complaining of that. I mean really - there was not even any thunder or rain!!!! And our tree is gone. So the storms can hold off for a while. I'm good :)

Today Dion cut up the tree. So so sad. I can't stand looking out that front window. I want a beautiful tree. I don't want people seeing in my house. And that one was prob 20 yrs old. The kids thought it was pretty fun to watch Dion cutting the tree though. There is always an upside ;)

So now. What do we plant? We can't get rid of the stump.... so prob not another evergreen. We want something that grows fast and tall. but not one single tree to go in the center of the ring - if you know what I mean!!!!

When I thought it was safe to open the front door (after the insane winds and hail had stopped and I could see to the street) to snag a pic. MISTAKE!

Once the rain was bearable I went out. So rare our street floods like this. And now it has happened twice in weeks!

That circle is the street hole thingy that I can't think of the word right now. CRAZY! (Rohan is up and I have no time to think on it lol) It was a little whirlpool going nowhere!

The calm after the storm. It was beautiful out!

Now we KNOW we probably couldn't have saved this tree no matter how hard we were trying this year. Seriously... what the heck is this green thing wrapped around the trunk????