Storm of the year!

There was not one warning about a coming storm. I had just started giving Alice a piano lesson at her home when it sounded like there was a knock at the door. These 2 girls never answer the door but Alice opened the curtains to see who might have been there. Instead we saw this:

this was the house across the street from Alice. Immediately mom Gosia told the kids to race to the basement and she said, "Miss Susan, you are not leaving til this passes." good thing because I was not going to leave. The rain and winds were like vertically blowing and it was insane. Gosia and I kept watch all around her house. The storm lasted about 35 minutes with winds at least 60 mph in Sheffield Lake (it was reported). when I could leave, I couldn't get to our home the usual way becasue trees had fallen across Lake Road and along other of the side streets. I opted to go East to Amber Oaks and no one was there but I picked up some Italian Wedding Soup and Salads for dinner. I wasn't sure if we had power. Then I had to make my way south and found various streets that would head me west til I got home. These were only a few of the downed trees I saw..I just wanted to get safely home.

Marissa was without power and cell tower in lakewood til Sunday afternoon, Aug 11, so she and the boys came and stayed with us. There are times when I bemoan the face we live in this home, which is very large...but times like this when we need space it's great that everyone had a bed and a room to chill. Luckily we have a whole house generator but we only lost power for a minute and the generator kicked it. What a smart thing for Robert to insist we get. We took the boys to dinner at Long House Steakhouse and they ate everything.

Marissa would head home to get things and prepare to return to school days (August 13). At one point I asked her if she had done the boys' school supply shopping. It was Aug 8 and that was the last day of the Ohio free tax week. She hadn't. But her computer with all her school things died and she had to replace it. THEN..her car died on the street and that was an expense she wasn't prepared for. Who is? So i got the list from the boys' schools and took Oskar and Simon shopping. We got all their needed supplies and Henry's as well. Man! I just want to say that I am so grateful we don't have our 5 kids in school today. I could not have afforded the huge list kids have today. Wow! But life slowly returned to normal. I am grateful our home and yard was protected and we were all preserved.