Bob & Joe's Sailing Shed

Yesterday morning Anna left for work about 5:45am. It was a little windy when she left but it seemed not too bad. Then about thirty minutes I thought I had better look outside. I just had a feeling.

It had just begun to rain. I thought I better get Kathleen’s and Jim’s morning paper in a dry place near their house… so I did. After I got Jim’s paper under his overhang I was out in the street, in front of our house walking towards Kathleen’s when suddenly everything lit up. It was suddenly whiter and brighter than daylight. Then there was a roar of thunder. I hurried and finished my task.

Bob and his family lives directly across the street. I heard a noise and looked over. Bob’s shed he recently assembled was on its side leaning against a fence. The wind tossed it.

I came into the house and was trying to decide if Willow and I were going for a walk in this weather or not when the power went off. It was off for about the next nine hours. We were sitting in the dark.

In less than an hour daylight came. But because it was cloudy not a strong daylight; sort of a hazy daylight.

When I could see good outside, about 7:00 I went back outside to study Bob’s uplifted shed. I took pictures.

Joe and his sister came out and got into his mother’s van. Joe was driving, evidently he was going to work, which he insisted on driving and his sister was going to drive back. It would be more impressive if he drove… it is more manly for the male to drive.

They rolled down their window and he said, “See what happened to my shed?” (my shed?)

“Yeah – terrible!”

“I might take off early today and come back and look up my house insurance papers, to see if this is covered.” The way he said that, you would think he is a young executive. He works for Jiffy Lube. Every time I have seen him working he was standing out front by the street holding a sign saying “No Waiting.”. “My insurance papers”? Other than his baby, he is the youngest member of that household – how come it is “My”? … at the most it would be “our” shed and “our” insurance papers.

They were lucky. Well, we were even luckier. About a quarter of a mile away, there was havoc.

Through all morning I heard sirens and helicopters. The helicopters were probably the news people.

I did not want to opened the frig thinking it might let the cold out, so I got into the truck and drove to Wendy’s and got a hamburger. I drove down Trickum Road, which is a block away, and as soon as I got on it, in the parking lot of a church was a TV reporting truck with a big antennae and two or three trucks with red lights on the tops of their trucks. Two or three blocks away the road was blocked and a policeman motioned for me to turn around, which I did and went another way.

On the way back home I had to zig-zag to get to my destination. Almost every thoroughfare was closed – men were working with chainsaws removing trees and limbs from on tops of houses… all over tall trees were snapped like match-sticks. Police were all over the place directing traffic around things. It looked like a tornado came in, and just madly jumped up and down and danced away.

On the news later in the evening, they said there were some injuries, but non life threatening. Good!

Bob came home early and he and Ann were out looking a the uprooted shed. I was doing something in the yard and Bob hollowed over, “Eddie, see my shed?”

“My?” Here we go again. – I suppose Ann’s money paid for the shed.

Immediately Bob told me that he had the shed anchor down good. He blamed it on Joe. He said Joe left the door opened and the strong wind blew in and it was like a parachute – it just sat sail.

Bob told me the plans he had for their house, since they are “stuck here for a few years”. He is going to make an addition to go all the way to the fence. I know that will be a sight for sore eyes.

Maybe Joe will leave the door open and it will set sail.