If any Possumworld readers are going to be in the Carcassonne area on Saturday, 23 June (in 10 days!!!), we're having the second of our quarterly Lunch with the Possums events. We'll be eating in the Brasserie of the Hotel Terminus, right next to the train station for anyone who would want to come by train. Otherwise, there is a large underground parking structure also across the street from the Hotel.
Our last event in March had 6 of us, but we're expecting to double that this time. We'd love to have you join us. If you can make it, please send me an email (or leave a comment) a day or two before so we can let the restaurant know how many to expect.
After my glowing post about our summer weather finally arriving, Mother Nature decided to play one of her highly amusing practical jokes.
Sunday afternoon we had a bit of a thunderstorm. Nothing major; lots of sound and lightning but not a great deal of rain. When it cleared, the sun came back out and the sky was blue and clear.
During the evening, we heard distant thunder once or twice, but it didn't look bad outside. Around 11:00, being good Possums, we went up to bed as per usual. We debated whether to close the windows or not, and finally decided it was easier to close them then rather then having to get up during the night, "just in case."
We hesitated about the bedroom window though, because it's so nice to feel the cool night air. But a slightly closer thunderclap made it clear that Maggie wouldn't be sleeping if we didn't try to dampen the sound as much as possible. So, JM went to close it and suddenly, there was a massive gust of wind that seemed to come from nowhere. By the time he had gotten the shutters closed there was a horrible sound thunder directly overhead and then hail started to fall with a ferocity that I've never heard before!
Now, JM and I are not really afraid in storms. Shmoo has never been particularly afraid since we've had him. But THAT storm was like nothing else. It sounded as if the roof was going to be destroyed. I went out into the staircase to look up at the skylight and saw hail that was the size of BIG marbles pounding down. We were not sure if the glass, even with the wire reinforcement, was going to hold up.
I went to look out a front window, which had the shutters hooked but not totally closed, and saw what looked like a small river running down the street. This was a serious storm with a lot of rain dumped in a very short time. It lasted slightly over half-an-hour, then turned into normal rain.
Yesterday morning we went out to walk with a bit of trepidation, not sure of what we would see. I was amazed, first of all, that the hail had not damaged the cars. I was sure Beanie would be all battered and bruised.
The news was not so good in the gardens though. A good portion of the carefully and lovingly tended crops were smashed flat. Lots of leaves and buds stripped from the stuff that was still standing. The big field where Shmoo likes to run was a perfect example. For the last few weeks the weeds have gotten so high that he completely disappears from sight once he steps into the field, now, the major part of it looks like a crop circle.
I'm sure some the stuff will come back. But our neighbors were all walking around looking very sad yesterday as all their hard work had been ruined in a way that no one could have predicted or prevented.
Yep, summer has finally arrived in the Possum Kingdom. Last Thursday, the rain faded away, the temps warmed up and people finally started smiling.
As usual, the first nice days of summer bring the denizens of our village out of hiding. You start to see lots more people when you walk through the gardens (nice, but more complicated for dog walking). The big change is that the patio chairs come out onto the sidewalk and you see neighbors sitting outside and chatting until almost 11 pm, as it is not truly dark until 10:30 or so.
That's not to say that the complaining is over! Because now we can all complain about how hot it is or worry if we really ARE going to have another storm or not.
Friday, we went to have dinner with friends in Mirepoix. There new home is along a small creek and sitting out there chatting and eating was a true pleasure. One of the rare times that I feel sad that we don't have any outdoor space of our own. Still, we're lucky that enough of our friends invite us to share their gardens that we don't mind too much.
Yesterday, for example, I took the dogs out in the afternoon and wound up spending 30 or so minutes sitting and chatting with friends Helene and Michele in Helen's beautiful garden (a real little paradise, in my opinion). The dogs couldn't run free, unfortunately, as there is a rabbit hutch two gardens over and I didn't want to have to pay for any dead rabbits, which the Horde would just scare to death and not even eat!
Even tied up to the fence, the furry ones enjoyed the nice soft grass. I'm sure they think I'm a horrible meany, not giving them a garden of their own. But that is life; not always fair.
