Relief!

It's been quite hot here - certainly far too hot for me. It was so bad earlier this evening that I was breaking into a sweat every time I blinked. I finally decided that a cool shower would be in order, and just as I was getting organized for that, a thunderstorm rolled in. The cool shower felt wonderful, but poor Misty (my youngest baby) was not a happy camper, as the thunderstorm had intensified quite a bit. She stayed in the bathroom with me, sucked herself up to the side of the tub, and even tried to get in the tub with me a couple of times. At one point she knocked the towel stand over - now that made me jump, so I can only imagine how much more it freaked her out. She was definitely happy when I got out of the shower, so she could lay shivering on the floor by the couch. Of course, that position wasn't as good as her spot in the bathroom, since the couch is right under the windows, therefore closer to the thunder. But she seems to think it's a safer spot, so that's what counts, apparently. I do feel sorry for her, though. Between the static filters on the furnace (which were going nuts due to the wind from the storm), the thunder, and the wind, she was a nervous little furry wreck.

It was still pretty toasty in the house at that point, but then another thunderstorm rolled in, along with some stiff breezes, and things started cooling off quickly. That storm gave way to more, one with very high winds and a few minutes of heavy hail. That one sent the rain barrels, chairs, and a few other things flying around the yard, and the wind actually blew a screen out of sister Judy's kitchen window, and blew one of her cupboard doors open. I didn't have any issues like that - just a bit of water to mop up on one side of the bedroom window. A friend of mine said that her neighbour's greenhouse was blown over, and actually blown down the street. So it got pretty wild and wooly out there for awhile. While it was hailing I was in the kitchen, and I ended up checking up the stairway as it sounded like the hail was actually coming in the house. As it turned out, it was just slamming into the door quite aggressively. I'll have to check when I take the dogs out again and see if there are any dents in the door.

Of course I enjoyed every second of the wild weather. I love thunderstorms, and while I don't normally like high winds, I do enjoy them when they come along with the rain and thunder. It's so beautiful to sit and take in the energy of the storms, to listen to the thunder and the rain, and watch the lightning flashing across the sky. Usually we have fairly short thunderstorms, so I was thrilled when they lasted all evening this time. I'd have been out during some of it if Misty wasn't so afraid. I couldn't take her out, and I definitely could not have left her alone in the house - either way, the poor baby would have been totally freaked out. I vividly remember taking her out once last summer. The storm was almost over, so I thought it was safe, but just as we were heading back in the house, there was a very loud clap of thunder. The poor girl jumped a few inches off the ground. It was actually funny to see, but I really did feel sorry for her.

I think the storms are over with at this point. There hasn't been any wind or thunder for close to an hour now. I'm a bit bummed about that, as it's supposed to be hot again tomorrow. I was really hoping that the storms would hang in there for awhile longer. Misty certainly doesn't share those sentiments, though, and she is very happy now that everything has quieted down. She's happy with the cooler temperatures - like me, she can't stand the heat - but of course she doesn't understand that if it weren't for the storms, it would still be roasting. So while I'm not looking forward to more heat tomorrow, I'm definitely enjoying this blissful chill tonight.

I don't have any links to post this time around, as I just wanted to pop in and natter about the beautiful storms. I am going to relax a bit more, then take the dogs out and head to bed. Misty is finally relaxed enough that she is sleeping - and dreaming. I love watching dogs dream - they chase things, bark at things, wag their tails - too amusing. Misty tends to growl and bark, and I really do wonder what on earth she is after. Ah, now she is up for a drink of water, so this would be a good time to take them for their last potty break of the night.

Sleep well, everyone!