What's next? Brimstone?

Hi there.

*waving*

So, how was your Memorial Day weekend?

Oh, mine? Thanks for asking (my readers are so considerate). It wasn't bad. A cookout with friends, planted some herbs, shoveled some ice. You know, typical end-of-May activities.

What? Yeah, I said "shoveled some ice". Did you catch that? Let me repeat it then.

We SHOVELED SOME #$%&*@ ICE.

Let me back up.

On Sunday there were weather reports of a storm coming. Nothing major, just some thunder and lightning, a few late day showers. No biggie. Mr. C and I had cleaned up the yard that morning and planted all those herbs that were sitting in little pots in the driveway forever and we had no plans for that evening other than soaking our sore muscles, so I decided to run out to the market before the threatening dark clouds opened and soaked my Twinkies healthy organic fruits and vegetables before I could stuff them down my throat serve them to my family.

On the ride home I could see impressive bolts of lightning rip through the sky. Cool, I thought, I love summer storms. I would have driven around a little to get the best view of the light show but I had all that ice cream healthy organic food in the back of my car.

Ten seconds after pulling into the garage, this happened:

(click the pictures for full effect.)

That's where we were planning on soaking aforementioned sore muscles. Yeah, that didn't happen.

And this is where we were thinking of eating our hot dogs healthy organic fruits and vegetables. *sigh*

Not the biggest of the hail balls, but impressive anyway.
Heh, "hail balls". Balls. Heh.

Watch your step, it's a squidge slippery there.

Can you see the herbs I planted? Me neither.

Oh dear. Basil? Can you hear me? Are you under there somewhere?

Ah! I can't feel my toes!

Aaand that's why we let our kid walk out there with no shoes on. Who's Mom of the Year? Right here, baby.
Eh, it helped her to forget the thunder and lightning, the house being pelted with ice balls (heh) and the screaming. I couldn't help myself.

It also helped her forget that I had left this outside. It's my Mother's Day present. She planted the flower and painted the flower pot just for me. Mother. Of. The. YEAR.

I thought the ice storm of '08 was bad but there's nothing like a good old fashioned hail storm to make you feel this big [middle and index finger centimeter apart, maybe less]. But I can happily say that most of the herbs made it through, there were no bad dreams that night and, best of all, no major damage to our home. I wish I could say the same for my back but I can't because we spent the next day cleaning everything up again.

F*ck you, Mother Nature. Grab a rake, will ya?