Well, my garden is intact after the California Hurricane.....
The big storm that hit Friday. Wind gusts were over 80 mph.
Over 2 inches of rain here-much more in many places.(14 inches!!)
My only casualties were a 15 foot Buddleia that blew half over
and hooked itself onto the climbing rose. So I trimmed it,
the Buddleia, back to 5 feet and pushed it upright, stomped
the roots back in and held it up with a big rock. I would hate
to lose it, the trunks are 4 inch diameters.
Our huge pine tree got a good pruning and distributed pine
needles and branches all over the yard. (more chippings for
mulch). Cleaned up pine 'poop' today.
The whole northern CA area was hit hard -over 90000 house
holds in the county without power. Our was off from 8 am
Fri until 2 am Sat. Son just got his back this am at 2. Some still
have no electricity.
Trees down all over town, and we have lots of them. Some are
still on top of roofs, some are on cars, and some lost huge
branches the size of small trees. Tree litter is pretty well
cleaned up and piled up at the curb (more compost for the
city facility)
Traffic lights were off everywhere, people got along extremely
well just making them into stop signs. Most are operating now.
This is a huge almond growing area, and the orchards were
really devastated. One grower lost 85% of his trees. Whole rows
of trees went down like dominoes. Some young ones may be
saved if they didn't go completely out of the ground, but many
old ones are gone. We'll be hearing chain saws for awhile.

At the local school a row of 6 ash trees were all damaged,
a couple looked just like hurricane/tornado damage, with the
trees all twisted and broken like sticks (big old trees)\\
That's enough now; it's good to be back online and reading
rec.gardens again
Emilie in Northern California

mleblanca expounded:

That's enough now; it's good to be back online and reading
rec.gardens again

Well, Emilie, I'm glad you didn't suffer more damage. I have to say,
sounds like the Blizzard of 78 we had. They thought it was an out of
season hurricane - it's rather strange having thunder and lightning
during a blizzard! We had three to four feet of snow around here from
that one.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

Emilie! glad to hear you are OK and so is your garden!

I've survived a few hurricanes, more than a few blizzards and my worst
nightmare are still ice storms.

Cheryl

On Jan 8, 6:27 am, Cheryl Isaak wrote:
Emilie! glad to hear you are OK and so is your garden!

I've survived a few hurricanes, more than a few blizzards and my worst
nightmare are still ice storms.

Cheryl

Spent last night in the bomb shelter buried next to the barn. Nearly
twenty tornadoes touched down, killing (so far reported) three and
many injuries and zillions in property damage. Luckily, they missed
me, going by just to the north and south. I had just cut back the
grapes and mulched some roses, after record 71 degrees Sunday.
S'posed to snow tonight. Hard to plan for.
Well, at least it filled the pond.

cheers

oz

On 1/8/08 2:33 PM, in article
, "MajorOz"
wrote:

On Jan 8, 6:27 am, Cheryl Isaak wrote:
Emilie! glad to hear you are OK and so is your garden!

I've survived a few hurricanes, more than a few blizzards and my worst
nightmare are still ice storms.

Cheryl

Spent last night in the bomb shelter buried next to the barn. Nearly
twenty tornadoes touched down, killing (so far reported) three and
many injuries and zillions in property damage. Luckily, they missed
me, going by just to the north and south. I had just cut back the
grapes and mulched some roses, after record 71 degrees Sunday.
S'posed to snow tonight. Hard to plan for.
Well, at least it filled the pond.

cheers

oz

I've seen some "maybe tornados" - they are supposedly happen around here and
thankfully, I've never been in the path. I think they'd scare me as much as
an icestorm does.

C

In article ,
Cheryl Isaak wrote:

On 1/8/08 2:33 PM, in article
, "MajorOz"
wrote:

On Jan 8, 6:27 am, Cheryl Isaak wrote:
Emilie! glad to hear you are OK and so is your garden!

I've survived a few hurricanes, more than a few blizzards and my worst
nightmare are still ice storms.

Cheryl

Spent last night in the bomb shelter buried next to the barn. Nearly
twenty tornadoes touched down, killing (so far reported) three and
many injuries and zillions in property damage. Luckily, they missed
me, going by just to the north and south. I had just cut back the
grapes and mulched some roses, after record 71 degrees Sunday.
S'posed to snow tonight. Hard to plan for.
Well, at least it filled the pond.

cheers

oz

I've seen some "maybe tornados" - they are supposedly happen around here and
thankfully, I've never been in the path. I think they'd scare me as much as
an icestorm does.

C

We had a minor tornado a few years back. Some folks still talk about
the train like sound. This was very minor as just some tree's were
downed. Bad weather here is fog , black ice and 5 inches of snow.
Lost power once due to lighting for about a week. Our main health
hazard seems to be young drivers on cell phones and perhaps too many
visits to the doctors.

Seems we are VERY lucky.

Hope all goes well with all.

Bill who was out in 70 F weather today doing spring clean up chores.

WEIRD

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA
"Energy is the only life and is from the Body and Reason is the bound
or outward circumference of Energy.
Energy is Eternal Delight"
William Blake

On 1/8/08 4:20 PM, in article
, "Bill"
wrote:

In article ,
Cheryl Isaak wrote:

On 1/8/08 2:33 PM, in article
, "MajorOz"
wrote:

On Jan 8, 6:27 am, Cheryl Isaak wrote:
Emilie! glad to hear you are OK and so is your garden!

I've survived a few hurricanes, more than a few blizzards and my worst
nightmare are still ice storms.

Cheryl

Spent last night in the bomb shelter buried next to the barn. Nearly
twenty tornadoes touched down, killing (so far reported) three and
many injuries and zillions in property damage. Luckily, they missed
me, going by just to the north and south. I had just cut back the
grapes and mulched some roses, after record 71 degrees Sunday.
S'posed to snow tonight. Hard to plan for.
Well, at least it filled the pond.

cheers

oz

I've seen some "maybe tornados" - they are supposedly happen around here and
thankfully, I've never been in the path. I think they'd scare me as much as
an icestorm does.

C

We had a minor tornado a few years back. Some folks still talk about
the train like sound. This was very minor as just some tree's were
downed. Bad weather here is fog , black ice and 5 inches of snow.
Lost power once due to lighting for about a week. Our main health
hazard seems to be young drivers on cell phones and perhaps too many
visits to the doctors.

Seems we are VERY lucky.

Hope all goes well with all.

Bill who was out in 70 F weather today doing spring clean up chores.

WEIRD

It was very warm today here as well - low 50's and the snow is melting
quickly. It is supposed to be warm again tomorrow and then get colder again.
Maybe snow on Friday!

C

Monday was 62oF, torrential downpour with lightning and thunder, south of us they got
a tornado or 2. today was 52, tonight it snows. sheesh.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Ingrid

Ann said:

mleblanca expounded:

That's enough now; it's good to be back online and reading
rec.gardens again

Well, Emilie, I'm glad you didn't suffer more damage. I have to say,
sounds like the Blizzard of 78 we had. They thought it was an out of
season hurricane - it's rather strange having thunder and lightning
during a blizzard! We had three to four feet of snow around here from
that one.

Thundersnow rules. =)

--

Eggs

Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground, and I'll show you a man
who can't get his pants off.

"Cheryl Isaak" wrote in message
...
Emilie! glad to hear you are OK and so is your garden!

I've survived a few hurricanes, more than a few blizzards and my worst
nightmare are still ice storms.

Cheryl


Have to agree with that. Ice storms can knock out residential electrical
supply radically, and weather can delay the fixes for many days afterwards.
They also tear up major and minor trees without discrimination.

Wind can rip any tree from the soil if its loosely packed, or an old dying
tree. Saplings take more than a few months to set their roots as well if
transplanted. They are essentially in a mudhole until that happens.
Dave

In article
,
mleblanca wrote:

Trees down all over town, and we have lots of them. Some are
still on top of roofs

A roof around here won't support a redwood tree. There are at least
three homes here that have been sliced in half like birthday cakes
(fortunately no fatalities). The storm hit Friday. Today is Wednesday
and, PG&E still hasn't got everybody reconnected to electricity. Been
here thirty years and this is as bad as it gets.
--

Billy

Bush & Cheney, Behind Bars
http://www.antiwar.com/eland/index.php?articleid=8282
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movemen...George_W._Bush

unless it is a dome roof, especially cement domes.

On Wed, 09 Jan 2008 10:22:53 -0800, Billy wrote:
Trees down all over town, and we have lots of them. Some are
still on top of roofs

In article ,
wrote:

unless it is a dome roof, especially cement domes.

On Wed, 09 Jan 2008 10:22:53 -0800, Billy wrote:
Trees down all over town, and we have lots of them. Some are
still on top of roofs

Thank you for your astute and pertinent observation dr-solo.

A quick check shows that there aren't many single family reinforced
concrete domed domiciles here in western Sonoma County. How about you
Emilie, is this a toni fashion statement popular in Chico? Domed?

Branches over a vehicle (to avoid attracting unwanted attention*) is
currently more popular than domed domiciles here. However, the two
styles (huddling under branches and, domed domiciles with porticos) will
probably experience a recrudescence as the middle-class moseys into
extinction.

Here, in that sleepy, little, wide-spot in the road, known as
Forestville, the garden beds are cleaned, covered with news print,
mulched with alfalfa and oak leaves, and seeded with green manure. Crop
rotation is figured out. Got my seeds. In a month, I'll start
germinating my cabbages but for now, it's watch the rain and wait.


*http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/articl.../NEWS/71121015
--

Billy

Bush & Cheney, Behind Bars
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...490698,00.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movemen...George_W._Bush

expounded:

unless it is a dome roof, especially cement domes.

On Wed, 09 Jan 2008 10:22:53 -0800, Billy wrote:
Trees down all over town, and we have lots of them. Some are
still on top of roofs

How do you figure that? I had a tree come down on my house, the trunk
leaned against the side and the branches were on the roof - my house
is not a cement dome.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

Hi All
I'll just respond en masse so to speak
1. Cheryl and Ann and others thanks for your good wishes.
2. I agree that hurricanes/tornados are scarier. I can't imagine
what those winds would be like, 80mph was a horrendous
sound. I haven't experienced either one, but have seen their work
3.Oz happy to hear you survived all those tornados!
4. Ice storms are definitely not fun and really bad news,
5.Billy; glad you survived too. We have been here 25 yrs and
ditto, never seen damage this widespread, and so MANY trees,
down and large branches ripped off. Deodaras are not as big
as redwoods, but can also slice an house in half. Or a full size
Ponderosa/Jeffrey Pine can do it.(Paradise woman's house)
When I am 90 I can say, "why I remember the big one of 07"
6. Dome house: There used to be an old 1970s version here, and
I have seen a newer one, but my memory is not telling me just
where they are. Will have to cruise around and see if I can find them
7. Update: final figu 120,000 in county w/o power. some still do
not
have it. We have had workers from ID, MO, and all over helping out.
and some people can do nothing but whine about how slow they were!
3 ash trees at the school will survive, 3 are firewood.Another inch
of
rain since storm, and Much snow will help to fill reservoirs,
Enough.........
Emilie