The heat wave finally broke today but not without some damage.  We had thunder, lightning, and heavy rain.  That didn’t do the damage, on top of all that; we had strong winds whip through after the rain. 

     In the back corner of our yard, we have a good-sized shed.  Going up the side facing the alley we had four types of vines growing up and over the roof.  Two types of ivy, bittersweet, and chocolate vine had all intertwined and created a lovely mantle over the boring aluminum shed.  Ferns below covered any of the lower faults.

     My first trip out into the yard with Gavin after the rain stopped the wind kicked up into high gear.  When I took Patty out next, I was shocked to find that in a few minutes the wind had literally peeled all the vines off the shed.  A huge mass of vines were now hanging by a few tendrils that had attached to the magnolia.

     All I could do was put on my work gloves, haul out the trimmers, and get to work on clean up.  I filled four forty gallon trashcans with vines by the time I finished.  It took me three hours to clear away the mess.  It was still hot and humid when I was working. 

     Now if I can find someone willing to paint the shed for me…

     The winds continued through the evening but not as wild as in the afternoon.  By 11 tonight, we’d cooled down to a very comfortable 61 degrees.  The air conditioners are off and I opened the house to welcome fresh air.