Batten down the hatches

at 6:30AM it was 61-degrees outside as a hot wind blew and dark clouds hung overhead. I was awakened to thunder, then a bang. Outside the big sun-umbrella had blown over, and was torn out out of it’s heavy concrete base. The umbrella was intact and unbroken but the base was destroyed.
I noticed last week when I set it up for shade that the base had a crack in the plastic surround, and I believe water had gotten-in and frozen, cracking it – and now the whole base was torn-open and broken into pieces.
Another small umbrella was lying on its side but un-broken. I furled everything up and laid-down the two small ones onto the deck, and took the miraculous survivor inside.
Out in the field my spring-loaded leaf-bag holder was rolling around on gusts of wind, so I went and retrieved it too.
No sun today, storm coming.
UPDATE:
Lotta BIG wind came back in the evening, blowing hard with thunder overhead, and then at 7:30PM the lights went out. Exciting! I went to the garage for the fluorescent DeWalt work-light, threw a battery in it, and lit up the living room. Poured a cup of Tin Cup whiskey on rocks, and went back to reading Shooting Illustrated. Lights stayed off until 1:10AM when the lights came back and woke me up. Just raining constantly now, with snow coming down at 4,000feet (Pollock Pines). The cell-phone is “Searching” but unable to find a signal, so my local tower must have been damaged.
In text messages my Buddy uphill in Sly Park said that at his house there were trees smacking each other and debris flying through the air, before we lost the signal…Mmmm, morning coffee!

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