"Oh Wind a-blowing all day long..."

11 comments

The summer of 2011 will go into the records for it’s extremes, not the least of which has been the extremely strong winds. It The spring had the coldest beginning in a great many years, as on April 20, 2011 we received freezing rain and snow
May couldn’t make up it’s mind whether it was going to be warm or cold…very changeable! Cold temps were with us well into the month of June but finally in the latter weeks southerly winds brought some warmth, at last, but also storms and high winds. July arrived and with it record temperatures and oppressive humidity…July 20th went on record as the hottest day on record in the Ottawa Valley with 35 Degrees Celsius, and with the humidity factor (humidex) it felt like 45 degrees Celsius. Whenever we have extreme heat and humidity (from the south) the normal circulation brings cooler air from the arctic…and the meeting of the fronts spawns highwinds and thunderstorms.
The last ramble into the margin of the forest impressed me with the number of fallen trees and limbs that have come down. Also, makes you aware that in any forest you should not ignore what may potentially fall on your head! Heads Up!
Earlier in the year…a hemlock tree with a fractured trunk finally fell in the early spring storms. Most recently (one week apart) the tops of two trees in the front yard just cracked and fell! Wind played a part but it was obvious after they fell, that both had weak areas from water damage, (freezing, thawing and mould and fungus had undermined the upper reaches) and all that was required was a bit of wind to tip the branches out of balance…and crash!
The first to go was a large ash tree near the stream and the road…and very close to the hydro wires..just lucky that it fell toward the house and not the other direction where it could have snapped wires!

The second was the top of my new favourite, the black walnut. It fell into the little valley where the stream runs down from the back of the property…had the fall been the other way it might have landed on our car!

This is how it looked on a lovely June morning…after a cool evening the rising dew in the morning sun made a wonderful show…sigh.

The small creatures are hoarding like mad…so I’m wondering what that augers for the coming winter! This little chipmunk had his jaw pouches so full he had to be top heavy!

Cooking during a power outage presents some challenges…lol.
We have a gas barbeque…but it can’t compete with the fun of the fire! That night was spent by the fire…in the pitch dark, because the hydro pole, (pic up three) had snapped completely off and the wires and cables were almost in the Madawaska River!…Two large white pine by the highway fell across the lines on the opposite side of the river. The wires were intact…but the pole snapped cleanly off!
This wind had to be at least 100 kmh.
" Oh wind a-blowing all day long…oh wind that sings so loud a song!" Apologies to RLS.

• 25 Jul, 2011
• 8 likes

More blog posts by lorilyn57