Again, for Mom, a garden report. We had some damage from wind last night and this morning. Several branches of tomatoes fell over. I tied them up better, but am not sure if the ones that fell will survive. There is an ongoing problem with a fungal infection on the tomatoes as well, probably due to the wet weather we have had. This has affected some a lot more than others. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes have come out in force now as well, and it is making garden work most unpleasant. Still, you can see progress since the previous set of pictures.

Surf's up at Atwater Beach! I admire their tenacity.

From the front of JSOnline.com

Weather in Nashville continues to impress. Today, a hail storm




The bad news is our cars have numerous little dimple-dents in them. The good news is that our mileage will no doubt go up. Golfball effect from golfball-sized hail. With the price of gas and all, it might be a blessing!

It is a beautiful Spring day here. When it's broiling hot this Summer, remind me how nice this Spring has been and how mild the Winter was.

This from the USGS website:

The earthquake locations and magnitudes cited in NOAA tsunami statements and bulletins are preliminary and are superseded by USGS locations and magnitudes computed using more extensive data sets.

Do I detect a hint of friendly competition? Or something more?

Something else caused by Climate Change: insanity.

Now I'm changing my life again. Today, underneath the solar panels, there's a new set of deadbolt locks on all my doors. There's a new Honda GX390 portable power generator in my garage, ready to provide backup electricity. And last week I bought a starter kit to raise tomatoes and lettuce behind barred basement windows.

I'm not a survivalist or an "end times" enthusiast. When it comes to climate change, I'm just a realist.

Does the Washington Post think this guy's thoughts are rational? Very sad.

The weather has been nice down here in the South. It was around 70 again today. Meanwhile, it's been snowing again in Milwaukee. Fortunately, there are some videos out there of Midwest weather to make me feel a little less homesick. Like this one, from Chicago:



h/t Threedonia

I thought moving south would mean no more snow.




Kind of glad I was wrong.

It's cold here in Tennessee, and we've got a bit of snow on the ground. Our daughter really enjoyed playing in it.

We got socked with rain this weekend. And how. My kindly neighbor told me he emptied his 5 inch rain gauge twice as of this morning, and that it was filled to the brim both times. It poured all day today as well. I've heard reports of 16 inches total around here.

We went out to lunch though, braving the elements. Our power was out for about 8 hours and we got hungry. Many roads were blocked, most freeways as well. We wended our way through some neighborhoods near us. The culverts were filled with rushing rapids. It was quite something to see.

Images from around town show the scale of the disaster. You can find many on the web. My friend flying in this morning (the airport was open!) saw it from the air and was amazed. Water everywhere.

There is a creek near us, Richland Creek. You can see it on this map, along the labels [C] (A) and [B]. It's just a small creek, you might barely notice it. But today it showed its ugly side. A flash flood rose up and raced through a nearby neighborhood. On the map, we are in the lower left corner. So it was pretty close. My friend and I drove to point [B]. We saw semi-tractor trailers strewn all over a parking lot, along with telephone poles strewn around like matchsticks. The poles had been stacked there for storage. My friend and I heard a loud hissing sound and smelled the telltale sign of leaking gas. Yipe! We got out of there fast, though many other looky-loos were busy taking photos.

The flood raced down the streets adjacent to the creek. Two people were killed at point (A). I am not certain of the details, but their bodies were found in their basement. I was sorry to hear about that. The saddest news of the day.

At point B the flood reached a shopping area on Charlotte Pike. Shops were flooded out and owners were stranded on their roofs.

All pretty scary. We will be watching the news for the next several days to see the effects. The weather ahead is good, so the worst is over.