Big Storm!

Remember this winter we had SnOMG? Well we had a big storm yesterday morning that was a summer equivalent. The day started off really nice. It was cool and sunny at 7 a.m. They were saying there was going to big storms later in the day, but Mommy and I figured there would be no problem going for our morning walk. We got to the town proper and Mommy looked west and saw a HUGE BLACK WALL coming towards us fast. She said, "Merlin you need to pick up the pace." I didn't want to and dragged behind her in my "log on a rope" impersonation. We got to the squirrel park and I wanted to go in, but Mommy said, "I owe you a squirrel park later. No park today." I stood mule still because I HAD POOPED which meant I got to go in the squirrel park. Then it started to drizzle. Mommy dragged me towards home and said, "You are going to regret this you know." and I have to admit she was right. We were still a good two blocks from home when the wind got really strong and it started to rain needles SIDEWAYS. It HURT! I sure picked up my pace then. Mommy and I were practically running home, but we were fighting the wind the and being stung by the rain. When we got to our block there was a loud CRACK BOOM!! and we saw a tree a couple houses south of ours crash down into the street! Mommy and I sprinted past all the shaking trees and got to our house and discovered that our mulberry, which is taller than our house, was touching the driveway. It hadn't fallen down, but was just bent so low that its branches were touching the ground. We had to push through the branches to get to the house then we went in the gate and onto the porch. Mommy turned around to pull the porch door closed because it was being blown all around by the wind when CRACK BOOOOM!!!! the elm tree next door split in half! Luckily the half that fell down didn't hit anything but it was scary. We went inside and I got dried off and Mommy changed into dry clothes and then the carbon monoxide detector screamed and our lights went out. I got really scared because I hate the carbon monoxide detector, but Mommy unplugged it then called Benji's mom to make sure none of the elm had hit her house. It hadn't, but she pointed out that the tree across the street had fallen down at the same time! Mommy called work to say she wasn't coming in right now as it looked like a hurricane and then we sat in the window and watched the storm. When the storm was over we went out and helped clear the tree out of the street and pull the branches that were in Benji's yard to the curb. Then Mommy went to work.

When she got home she took me for a walk and I talked to a bunch of people who were out pulling branches to the curb and just staring at places where their trees had been. Then Mommy got in the car and went shopping! She came home with two big bags of ice and she set up an ice chest like we were going on vacation, but then she put it in the basement and the other bag of ice she put in the fridge. Weird. Then we sat on the porch and I wanted the fan and lights on but Mommy lit hurricane lamps instead and told me that that was how the pioneer dogs lived. I think those pioneer dogs were nutty. It was DARK and so quiet you could hear the owls and bats and stuff, plus it was hot and there was no fan. This morning Mommy still wouldn't turn on the fan, but we took a walk around town and Mommy brought her camera so we could share pictures.

Our neighbor Amy gathering up some of the elm tree logs for their wood burning stove

Amy taking a break to pet me

THE SQUIRREL TREE FELL DOWN!!!

Where did the squirrels go?

Anyone home?

How is that balancing like that?

Nom nom nom

Can you see the workers cutting up the big willow that broke?

Here they are!

Mr. Vulture is looking for casualties

Don't think they are getting out of their home any time soon

I got to go swimming at the end of the walk

Mommy says that it is very likely we are not going to have lights or fans until Saturday!! (Mommy had to drive far away to get electricity to put this blog entry up for me.) I'm not sure I want to be pioneer dog for that long, so if you know the CEO of the electric company, please bite him on the leg and tell him to hurry up with that work!

My Monthly Diary Entry for June

Well the big news is of course that I have a real live genuine blog now. No more crude updating my web page every month. The bad news is I don't have any place to store my old blog entries where people can read them, so if anyone out there knows of a good FREE storage space, let me know.

Anyway, on to my life this past month. We've had a lot of thunderstorms this month. I am not a happy camper because I don't like thunderstorms when I am at home. I'm always afraid that the thunder will make the power go out and then the beepy thing will go off and it'll be scary. When it thunders at night I climb in bed with Mommy and cuddle up until the next thunder, then I sit up and GLARE at Mommy because she should make the thunder stop, but she doesn't. So, Mommy and I haven't gotten a whole lot of sleep lately.

Grandpa had a birthday this month and the only day the family could celebrate was on his actual birthday (which never happens in Mommy's family), but I wasn't invited and since it was going to be a late night Mommy had me go stay with Auntie Laura and the kids for the day. They were predicting big thunderstorms that day and Mommy warned Auntie Laura that I could become a real pain in the neck, and that Auntie Laura could return me home early if I was disrupting her work. Mommy didn't need to worry though because I wasn't scared of the thunder at Auntie Laura's house. They don't have a beepy thing that I know of, so when the thunder started the boy and I went into the boy's room and I caught up on all that sleep I was missing. The boy was very happy to cuddle up with me and sleep too. It was very nice. Mommy was a little bit mad when Auntie Laura told her about it, and she showed me that the beepy thing wasn't even plugged into the wall anymore so it can't beep, but I don't care. If we are home and it is thundering, I am scared of the beepy thing.

Also this month Auntie Naomi and Uncle Fred came to visit me! I was outside in the backyard when they came and I ran to the fence and screamed and screamed and screamed. I was so excited to see them. They came in while Mommy got ready to take me for a walk and then I got to show them a short version of my evening walk. (Auntie Naomi wasn't wearing walking shoes so we cut it short to save her feet.) They really enjoyed my walk and when we got back I KNEW there was a present waiting for me. Since they hadn't brought it inside I knew it had to be in their car. So I took them to the car and when Uncle Fred opened the trunk I jumped on the car. This was BAD DOG SHAME ON YOU! but I didn't seem to scratch it. I was just too excited to NOT jump on the car. Auntie Naomi got my gift and I wanted to take it right there, but she said there was something in the bag for Mommy too and I had to wait. We went inside and Mommy got one of her jelly jars back and then I got my gift! It was a squeeky bison!! I've never had a squeeky bison before. It was very exciting. I played with it and entertained everyone with the squeeking. They acted like they were talking, but I know they were actually watching me. After a little bit they all got up and left me!! They went out to eat and didn't take me with. Mommy did bring home some sweet and sour chicken for me to share though so it wasn't all bad. I was happy when they all came back, but after a very short visit they left again. I whine and cried at the door and then ran to the back door so I could watch them leave better. It was too short a visit.

Another thing Mommy and I did this month was went to the anual picnic that her friends have to celebrate their anniversay. It had rained and rained all morning so we got there late (for some reason Mommy didn't think wet dog would be welcome at the picnic). Not many people had showed and by the time we got there most of those who had showed had gone. Mommy's friend gave me some cake and Mommy had some pasta which she shared with me. Then I spotted another piece of cake that nobody was eating so I took it off the table. Got in a bit of trouble for that and Mommy decided that we should go for a hike. I wore my camera and took some pictures. Here are some of them:





















The best food seemed to be here.






















Picnic!

We had a good hike and I saw a snake. I poked him and poked him and sniffed and sniffed, but then he got tired of me and disappeared into the grass.

Finally it has gotten VERY HOT recently. It was cold and nasty for so long and now it is summer. No spring. I have not been ready for this and neither has Mommy. Last night we tried to sleep on the porch, but the dumb, renters next door kept coming outside to smoke every hour on the hour and I felt the need to yell at them that they are dumb and shouldn't smoke, so Mommy and I had to go back in around one a.m. and sleep in the warm house. Mommy says maybe she can figure out a way to block my view of their house without blocking the air and I won't need to bark at them, but I'll still be able to smell their smoke.