I’ve a feeling… we’re not in Kansas anymore!

When it comes to threats from national disasters, what we are used to and have learned to prepare for are earthquakes. And, in some parts of the country, also floods.

So when extremely strong winds hit the part of the country where I now live, I was caught off guard. Mind you, summer is here and that actually means the dry, windy season has begun. In theory, perfect for flying kites. But when strong gusts of wind started to shake the house yesterday around mid-morning, I wasn’t quite sure what to do. As I looked out the window I could see trees bending, and suddenly tiles started to fly off the roof of the house. The dogs started to whine and pace, which also made me nervous. For the very first time since I moved here, I felt rather frightened. And that considering we have had several tremors that haven’t really fazed me.

Jamie called me in the middle of this, so at that point I simply moved to the only inside wall in the house, away from the windows. Our conversation was cut short after a while, as the power went out. That was yesterday morning, and the power is still out. Called the electric company, and apparently there was widespread damage, and they hope we will be reconnected sometime today. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. 🙂

So I’ve come down to our property in Guayllabamba, where my mother lives, to be able to connect my computer, access the Internet, and work for a little bit.

I took these pics after the wind died down some and I was able to go outside. Lots of tiles broken on the roof, broken branches and a fence that fell over, but nothing more. Thank goodness. 🙂

From the howling of the wind, I expected more damage than actually occurred. So maybe this house is safer than I thought, after all. Feeling better and better about that. 🙂