Storms

More violent thunderstorms today. This time the thunder did wake me up. Not loud thunder, it was the thunder in the distance before the storm arrived. I listened to it get closer and closer. When the storm finally arrived, the rain came down in sheets. The wind was blowing so hard that I had to close some windows. With much trepidation, I went out after dinner to see what damage the gardens had sustained.

I was pleasantly surprised. Except for a few poppies that got knocked over, the high winds and driving rain did no damage. The poppies have worked out just as I hoped, providing color while the balsam is still maturing. I tried taking pictures, but it doesn't look as colorful. My imagination must be exagerating the effect.

My real concern, however, is the oak tree. Yesterday, I heard a strange rattling sound on my roof. I was weeding the Cosmos garden at the time so I had a good view of the roof but couldn't see anything that would make that kind of a noise. Then I heard it again. At the same time I noticed two things. One, the wind was blowing and two, something had hit me on the head. To my horror, it was an acorn.

Remember, the oak tree predicts the winter weather. When the winter is going to be severe, the oak tree drops more acorns than normal. When the winter is going to be mild, there are fewer acorns. Last year there were no acorns and the winter was the mildest I've experienced since moving to New Jersey over 20 years ago.

A bad winter means more acorns sooner. They usually start dropping in August. But these acorns have started falling in June. Pretty darn scary. I am going to be keeping a close watch on the oak tree.