City Doings

I've been at the city house.  Planting and pulling weeds.  Many flowers blooming.  

The goslings are growing.  Seven remain and their parents are diligent.  They even chased Emmy, the weenie, but Sister, brave weenie, chased them back into the water.  Many different water fowl are trying to find nesting places in our backyard, but weenies keeping after them.  I fear several might start laying when we leave.  Anyway...

There are many large clumps of iris; both bearded and these single ones.  I have never seen these or planted this kind before.  The greenery is much more plentiful and they are covered in blooms.  Peonies, roses, freesia, iris and geraniums - too many to name, are bursting forth.  It is gorgeous.

After losing her eggs to varmints, the little mallard had a clutch of 12 babies hatch.  She is rearing them alone and not as diligent as the geese with her offspring.  Seven remain.  

Besides gardening and tending to my booth, Nonna has been tending to her grand babies.  Penny Lane is drawing on the patio with chalk and very proud of  it.

Bella and Ollie stayed the night and are washing all the dirt off in Nonna's bath.  Bubbles everywhere.  They loved it.

But, here comes trouble.  Dangerous series of weather events setting up this evening for a large tornado outbreak and baseball sized hail.  My flowers will be decimated.  My truck and husband's car can't both fit in the garage (don't ask), so as his car is smaller and newer,  it will go in the garage.  

Schools have closed in the event of a large tornado supercell. They don't want everyone out driving which is dangerous when the traffic backs up (aka sitting ducks).  All conditions are ripe for a bad day.  I have seen some storm chaser trucks with radar, etc. out driving or parked, waiting to go.  I just hope it happens before dark if it is coming.  Keeping fingers crossed for everyone and every thing in its path.  I have never known anyone whose house has been hit by a tornado, but have known those with damage to their roof from hail.

Where The Wind Comes Sweeping Down The Plains

Very soon we will go from cold early spring to warmer spring days.  We don't have much in between.  While our last freeze date is mid-April, this year spring has come early.  It will be interesting to see how the spring weather will play out.  It has been a fairly mild winter.  When a cold front meets up against a warm front - well, this is what happens where I live.

Tornado season is nigh.  Though this one is only a Force one or two, it can still wreak havoc if one is in its path.  A Force 5, or stovepipe tornado, literally takes up the grass and pavement along with everything else; it can be more than a mile wide and may stay on the ground for hundreds of miles. Nothing will be left standing.  

The Choctaw Nation installed a free underground tornado shelter for us last year.  I doubt it will get used, at least by me.  Usually I am out scanning the skies, looking for them.  If a Force 5 is coming though, I'll be down in the fraidy hole.  I do have a little sense.