Turkey in the storm

Early yesterday evening, we had a big thunderstorm come on strong and stay with us for a while. The wind blew like crazy. Just the kids and I at home, as Kev is working afternoons this week. When it first started up, I dashed outside and took down the umbrella off from the patio table on the deck, and I brought my 2 flower pots up onto the porch, all the while keeping an eye on the trees. I kept waiting to hear the big CRACK when one of 'em went down... but it didn't happen. The power went out. No surprise there.

The kids and I spent a few minutes on the porch watching the storm. But, when I saw a single group of trees with some of them bending wildly to the north and some to the south, when the wind was coming out of the west... well, that was enough to scare the piss outta me. Truly freaky. Headed to the basement with candles, flashlights and board games, and with one unsettled 11-year-old and one grumpy teenager. No power = no TV, so no Closer episode = Grumpy. Me, I was all, take the power, just leave the house. Ugh.

Just couldn't get into the board game. Wind died down and we headed back upstairs. Joycie and Sam got various electronic hand-held games out, and I napped until bedtime. I laid on the bed watching the storm over the pond. The thunder was deafening at times. At one point it rained so hard that visibility across the pond ceased... it was just one huge white wall of falling water.

After the first wild winds died down, with the storm settling into just a major thunder and lightning storm, I saw a rafter of turkeys... just walking about, pecking and eating. Later just before the big rains hit, I saw a single tom walking around the pond. Major lightning going on, and he was just wandering around. I got my Sony and tried to take some pictures, but it was so dark out, the shots were pretty awful. I give them to you here anyway, to show this brave tom turkey, fearless in the face of nature's wrath. That's one tough bird.