A Snowbird in Paradise

Will this bush bloom forever?

Hard to believe that this is nearly October.  Last week we had several days in the high 80s and two times we attempted to swim in the pool.  The days might be unseasonably warm, but the nights are still cold so the pool water looses whatever heat it gathered during the day.  So...Gabby didn't go in at all and Abby and I only to our waists.

The garden is overgrown but still producing some pretty flowers.  The roses, especially, have never stopped producing blooms.  Some annuals are at their peak and some are slightly over peak.  It is still interesting every day.

Three different roses still blooming

I have started holding off on feeding the birds to encourage them to start their migration.  Those who stay will have plenty to eat with the plants and berries in their harvest mode.  I won't be here in the winter so I should not make them dependent on my feeders.  Next week I will bring in all the feeders and clean and sterilize them for next spring.

"I see you!"

Looking South into my garden from the den

Through the window, this time. The hedgerow at the back is the neighbor's but serves the purpose of shelter, hiding, nesting and mating area for the birds and other small animals.

The pumpkin vines are overgrown and need to be pulled out. We have 6 good pumpkins and 2 that rotted. The corn stalks will become a decorative shock on the front porch for the autumn. I was going to pull out all the other annuals for the winter but a Downriver Garden Forum member mentioned that she keeps her annuals in because they look so interesting in the winter with the snow on them. I am willing to try that and clean up in the spring.

The roses will get their winter styro cones, though. I now have 9 to cover. I need a few new cones for the additions.

My first digital photo was in Florida of a nearly 5 foot tall Sand Hill Crane.  This week, in Michigan, I finally snapped the smallest bird...a wee hummingbird.

Quick shot of a Hummingbird

She must have needed to rest.

She stuck around for quite a while, even resting on the fence for a few moments.  The Cleome, Zinnias, and Cardinal Vine kept her quite busy while I fiddled with my camera.

One of the reasons the Snowbirds travel North when they do is to be away from the South during hurricane season.  Although I worry about a cousin and his family in North Carolina and a daughter living on the Jersey Shore, we usually just see hurricanes on The Weather Channel.  Our town in Florida was hit badly a few years ago in September, but we didn't arrive on the scene until January.

So imagine my surprise when, just as we were concerned about a daughter in New Jersey, our little Michigan town was struck with a storm, the likes of which we had never seen.

We were in the truck headed out of town to pick up a granddaughter from school for her "Special Day" with the Grands.  It JUST started sprinkling as we left the driveway.  As we crossed the first bridge the wind was so strong that there were little water spouts and white caps on the canals.  Four blocks further and we could hardly see through the rain.  Before we had gone a mile we had to pull over.  He NEVER pulls over! 

We figured if we just got on the highway we would be able to see.  Nope!  I called daughter to arrange for the granddaughter to be picked up and we waited out the storm in a bar parking lot.  The whole thing took about 15 minutes.

As we reentered town we could see amazing damage.  A swath about two blocks wide from the high school, East to the River...wind-whipped and damaged.

WEATHER SERVICE REPORT:
..DAMAGE SURVEY COMPLETED IN SOUTHERN WAYNE COUNTY...A STRONG STORM PASSED THROUGH THE DOWNRIVER COMMUNITIES THURSDAY AFTERNOON BETWEEN 230 PM AND 245 PM.   AN NWS TEAM SURVEYED THE AREA THIS MORNING AND FOUND THE DAMAGE TO BE THE RESULT OF STRONG STRAIT LINE WINDS.  THE DAMAGE BEGAN IN THE WESTERN GOLF CLUB NEAR  SOUTH ROCKWOOD. ..WHERE DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH WIND GUSTS OF 70 MPH.  THE DAMAGE PATH THEN WIDENED TO THE NORTHEAST THROUGH ROCKWOOD AND GIBRALTAR WHERE THE DEGREE OF DAMAGE SUGGESTED WIND GUSTS OF 60 TO65 MPH.  THE FACT THAT THE WINDS DECREASED IN SPEED AS THE DAMAGE PATH FANNED OUT IS CONSISTENT WITH STRONG THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOW OR STRAIT LINE WINDS.  THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF TREE DAMAGE ALONG THIS PATH AND THE ROOFS WERE BLOWN OFF OR HEAVILY DAMAGED ON TWO GARAGES AND A POLE BARN.

The worst damage was to this house, garage and yard by the Baptist church

A collapsed garage resting on a vehicle

A utility pole on the ground and holes in the church roof

A large tree branch on a roof-damaged

Broken branch causing roof damage

Another large part of a tree in a front yard

A large evergreen broken off

Uprooted tree has lifted a slab of sidewalk