Denise at Girlie on the Edge is the gracious host of the Six Sentence Stories link-up. Go check out the other entries, and feel free to join in with your own story. This week's cue: Limb.
Though of course she wished no harm on anyone, she thrilled at each gust of wind in this storm. She had been bedridden for weeks, and the view out the window of violently swaying evergreen trees provided much-appreciated entertainment. Suddenly, a loud bang was followed by the rushing of water. Gingerly ignoring doctor's orders, and anticipating a broken water pipe, she stood up and went outside to survey the damage. Once in the backyard, she laughed with relief and amazement: a limb had broken off of a Douglas fir, sailed across the yard, and hit the water faucet perfectly, and with enough force, to turn on the spigot! She quickly turned off the running water, then headed back inside to continue resting and watching the Inauguration Day Storm of 1993.
Though of course she wished no harm on anyone, she thrilled at each gust of wind in this storm. She had been bedridden for weeks, and the view out the window of violently swaying evergreen trees provided much-appreciated entertainment. Suddenly, a loud bang was followed by the rushing of water. Gingerly ignoring doctor's orders, and anticipating a broken water pipe, she stood up and went outside to survey the damage. Once in the backyard, she laughed with relief and amazement: a limb had broken off of a Douglas fir, sailed across the yard, and hit the water faucet perfectly, and with enough force, to turn on the spigot! She quickly turned off the running water, then headed back inside to continue resting and watching the Inauguration Day Storm of 1993.
What a relief to be able to put it right so fast! Very often we do not have such luck with water here.
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely a relief!
DeleteWith 120 foot tall pines in my year, windstorms are scary. We have limbs fall all the time! I don't know why I didn't go this way with my six!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love the flexibility of the prompts!
DeleteA brave woman to weather the storm, more so since she'd been on bed rest! Being a former homeowner, I might have done the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI remember being invited by someone to go with her to the inauguration that year but I declined. I had no idea the state of Washington was experiencing one of their strongest windstorms. (I love Google!)
It was a doozy! Fortunately, we didn't lose power for any extended length of time, but we had friends just up the street that were without electricity for several days.
DeleteI also would have had to get up against doctor's orders and go and check on the source of rushing water. It would be impossible to rest without knowing what was going on. I am so glad it was a simple fix and not something catastrophic! I love watching storms, one of the gifts of living in wide-open rural spaces. I don't want to see hail or tornadoes or even horrifically high winds, but I love the power of the universe manifesting itself in a storm. Great story!
ReplyDeleteVisit me at Josie Two Shoes
Yes, sometimes rules need to be broken (at least when rushing water is involved!)
DeleteThere is something about a windstorm, especially when the setting is among evergreen trees and bushes. Theres something about the sound of the wind through different types of trees and such. Pines and other trees provide a certain soft (although quite capable of high volumes) tone to the wind. Which serves to make the sudden sound of a break limb all the more startling.
ReplyDeleteLike Paul, the woods surrounding the house is also suffering from broken limbs and such. (My favorite joke to myself: anytime I'm lucky enough to hear a tree actually break, I always say to anyone or myself, "I heard that!').
Fun Six
I liked your bit of history SSS too. Glad you stayed safe!
ReplyDeleteMe, too! That must have been before you and John's mom took turns staying with us--or between turns!
Deletelove a good storm!!! zoe
ReplyDeleteMe, too!
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