I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately. Usually this is due to stress or anxiety, but this time it is due simply to the weather.  We’ve had an unusually large number of storms lately, and even a string of storms where it didn’t stop raining and storming for 30 hours.  We have been getting a few overnight and a few during the day every day for a good long while now.  The ground is saturated, the rivers are high, and we are hoping to dry out soon.

Monday nights storm seemed particularly close, the thunder kept shaking the house, the rain was streaming in, and the lightning was so bright. I had just fallen asleep when it started, and kept trying to get back to sleep.  But then I heard someone calling out to my neighbor, over and over. So I had to go have a look at what was going on.  I poked my head out the door and during the lightning flashes could see that the tree across the street had split in half and the half that fell had landed on my neighbors car.  She and another neighbor were out there talking about it.  I decided it was time to get some rest. It was good that I did, since 2 more storms rolled through early that morning and I couldn’t sleep through them either.

The next morning I got Bug to get out of bed pretty quickly by telling her that a tree was down on Sandy’s car. She gets pretty excited over any neighborhood anomaly.  She immediately ran outside to find Sandy and ask her about it. Unfortunately we could not tell what damage was done to the car as the tree had also brought down a power line, and thus Sandy was waiting on the power company to come out and advise.

Bug and I took bets on the way  home as to if the tree would be cleaned up or not. I suspected it would not be as there have been many incidents in these storms.  But it was, and then I was able to clearly see the tree.

Looks to me like lightning struck it. There are burn marks and discoloration above the split. It seems to have struck right where the tree forked.  Looking at it from my porch, it looks quite strange, as it really does look like half a tree in the foliage area.

I feel fortunate to have nice mature trees in our area, trees which are higher than the houses. I feel fortunate that lightning didn’t strike the house.  It was an exciting evening!  We had no storms last night, and so sleeping was much more pleasant. I hope the trend continues for a bit.

As I was combing Bug’s hair on Saturday, I noticed something that looked funny. Upon closer inspection, I said to her “Bug, I think we need to get you new hairbands, these look like they may be cutting into your hair.” “Oh no,” she said, “That is probably from when I cut my own hair.”

“What? Why did you cut your own hair?” I asked.

“Well, because Gabby has a bag with her hair in it, and I wanted to have a bag with my hair in it too!” She replied.

“Oh? And would you like to show me this bag of hair?”

“Oh yes!” she said and she rain upstairs and brought me this:

Yep, that is a bag of hair!  So I figured no amount of fussing on my part was worth anything, seeing as she’d already done it. Additionally, I knew she wouldn’t want her hair cut, and now it had to be done. So I explained to her that we were now going to have to cut her hair short, and that is what happens when you try to cut your own hair.

So I made the appointment, and Bug took it pretty well.  It was very very hot and humid, and so she was almost glad to be getting rid of her hair due to it hanging down her back and making her sweaty.  I snapped a picture with it in a ponytail, doubled up, in order to keep her cool.

And then she got it all cut off! I was pretty specific about what I wanted. Bug was very pleased because she got hair just like her Nana. I was pleased because it is cute, trendy, AND she had enough of a ponytail to donate.

Were there tears? Yes, in the car on the way home.  But they were short lived, and she decided that her hair looked awfully cute with her dress.  I figure she is the same sweet girl with or without long hair. And if she wants to grow it out, it will grow.