Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Hail Yes


Nope, not snow

Note to self - clean lint from recessed lens on camera phone before using

Yesterday sucked. I've only seen it hail like this two or three times. I was at our shop washing the truck when the rain started. So? I'll put it in the shop, tomorrow is supposed to be dry, it will dry off, and maybe even not streak so much. But, I wasn't listening to the radio telling everyone hail was on the way. After getting stung a few times, I retired to the safety of the shop. During a slight lull, I put away the washing equipment and pulled the truck into a bay. This is when I should have ran to my pickup, but it seemed to be about over. It got worse. Thirty minutes worse.

There are several "grades" of hail as well as sizes. The first hail was white and full of air - it tends to shatter when it hits the ground or solid objects. The top picture is hail collected on the highway, and it is the softer variety. However, it started hailing the clear stuff - ice just like from the freezer. Hard. Part of the fuzzy look in those pics is actually rain and hail.

So, anyway, I've got a hood and roof full of gravity wells, and one shattered side window vent visor. The gray Chevy between the trucks is my pickup, for what it's worth.

Then, last night we lost power in the wee hours. I was up for a while calling the rural electric coop. It finally came back on. Then, this morning as I was showering, the water pressure died. Of course I was completely covered with suds. I was hoping it would just be a pressure switch. It was not. I feared it might be that the well motor fried on low voltage, but it didn't. It turned out to be some sixty or seventy year old wiring that the wind finally got to. My neighbor took care of that for me. Damn, I've got some great neighbors. I can remember a Peanuts cartoon where Charlie Brown did all kinds of nice things for Snoopy, and ol' Snoop wonders if CB needs anyone bitten as a way to return the favor. I'd bite someone for my neighbor just about now.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Heh.

My first house was on a well. The morning after a really cool thunderstorm, I get in the shower, and with a head full of shampoo, run out of water.

Fortunately, it was just that a strike had tripped the pump breaker. Also fortunately, there were no neighbors around to see me wandering outside with a head full of suds to check the box.