IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

Yesterday began as a beautiful summer day, a perfect day to spend time at the family camp. Friends and I packed a picnic and headed to Hancock Pond. We enjoyed the morning swimming and paddling around in the kayak. The lake water was warm, a slight breeze to the air, most enjoyable. Around three o'clock the sky began to cloud and appeared rather "odd." We decided to gather our things and head for home. At four o'clock, I walked through the door being greeted by Winslow Homer and decided to start a load of laundry. When I returned from the basement the rain had begun in earnest and in no time at all a good "old fashioned summer thunder storm" rolled in. Winslow Homer promptly jumped in my lap, out went the electricity. The Heavens opened, darkness came and torrential rains began. The girls were out in their pen along with the two little ones, Fern and Pheobe. I knew the older hens would head inside, but not so sure about the younger ones. Eventually there was a window of opportunity and I quickly ran to the coop, scooped the little ones out of the water and safely got them settled inside. When I returned to the house the electricity was on and I heard the weather man instructing people to "head" to their basements, three funnel clouds and been detected in our area. Had I heard that correctly? "Tornado" "Maine" I had visions of Winslow Homer and I spinning off to Oz. The situation went from bad to worse, a barn collapsed, then another -trapping prized dairy cows, wires landing on houses, people trapped inside, trees snapped like toothpicks, flooded roads, hail. "Hello" this is Maine, not Oklahoma. By nine o'clock it was all over, the damage done. Today as I ventured out, the destruction was apparent everywhere, roads closed, detours, trees on houses, a swath made through corn fields. However, the most significant sight of all was neighbor helping neighbor and here at Dog Trot Farm, not a blade of grass was out of place ( just a few soggy hens.) Yup, I do believe in angels, how about you?