When the wind howls in the big voice of the southeasterly through our valley we listen all right. Well, I listen. David seems to be able to sleep through most anything, except me jumping every time a branch or fir cone is slammed onto our tin roof.
Such was our Sunday evening when I first heard the whipping of the branches. I listened. I got up and checked for a Mayne Island wind warning. Sure enough:
Southeasterly winds up to 80 km/h will spread to East Vancouver Island, Southern Gulf Islands, Greater Victoria and the Sunshine Coast early Monday morning.
The Southern Gulf Islands is us. The Weather Network confirmed what I already knew. We were in for a bit of weather. I send out a note here and there to let people know I may be off line due to power outages. You see, it has to do with these big fir trees that get blow around like reeds of grass in these storms. With the heavy rains we have been having the earth is soft and then against their best efforts over they go onto the power lines.
I head back to bed, sleeping lightly until about 5:00 am when the winds are really getting carried into a frenzy. The chair on the deck gets knocked over, cardboard boxes from my prints are flying around and it sounds like the roof is getting hit with machine gun blasts of debris. But the electricity is still on. I get up, make coffee and post my painting in our G+ with Brushes group gallery. The lights are flickering and my fingers rush. At 5:50 am the room goes dark. The winds continues to howl. I call down from the loft to David to turn on the battery lamp that is by the bed so I can see to get back down the stairs. I take it from him to read until daylight. He rolls over and begins to snore. I want to shake him! But I don’t. I take up vigil in the grandpa chair in the great room reading and wait for the soft light of dawn and the storm to end. Daylight comes and the storm continues.
Eventually, I notice someone is up trying to find breakfast while keeping one eye on the sky for falling objects.
She is braver than me. I wouldn’t want to be out there.
After a nice long sleep-in David finally gets up and decides he just has to have toast for breakfast. No problem.
In the early afternoon the rains come and I know the storm has about blew herself out. After awhile the rains stop and the mist starts to roll its beauty through the trees.
An eagle rests quietly. I exhale and say to self – well that wasn’t so bad. It is the same thing I say after having dental work.
We listen to CBC public radio on our excellent emergency transistor and hear that the winds reached 100 km/h and other than a roof being blown off in Campbell River, 300 marine emergency calls, ferries had been cancelled and tens of thousands of people without power, all is well. I make hamburger stew for supper and we visit by candlelight in the quiet.
Sometime during the night the power comes back on and David volunteers to get up and turn off all the lights we had switched on absent-mindedly during the day when they were not working. Then I sleep – really sleep, until the moon is shining in the window at 6:00 am this morning. Making toast is a little less like camping this morning.
SPROUT: How do you weather a creative storm?
© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.
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Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.
From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada
Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com
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Creative Potager 
Wow, strong winds bring big gifts I guess. . . .love the mystical feel to your photo of the trees in the mist.
Yes it usually does Alison. This time it will be much cleaning up of branches but maybe we shall wait until after it stops trying to hail and snow out there 🙂
What a delightful account of our storm.
As the flu bug had bit, I went to bed early on Sunday. When the storm hit, my muse danced with the energy. Words sprung forth as I tried to sleep. Such as…Like a bullwhip, the wind threatens to break our fragile link with the world.
And it did, but we, being hearty islanders, survived. : )
Yes we sure did Leanne and it really isn’t too much of an issue as long as the trees stay standing around the house and vehicles – which they did 🙂
Terrill – it was fun to live vicariously through your words and photographs for that storm! I’m glad everything turned out all right. I love the robin with an eye toward the sky! Gosh, but you guys get some doozies!
SPROUT: How do you weather a creative storm?
Steady as she goes.
Yep I like that answer Laurie 🙂 We do have some good storms but when I go out in the morning and see how small the branch really were (for the most part) that we making me cringe I have to laugh. It is kind like the story where things go bump in the night. Once you figure out what it is then it is not near as scary.
We are having snow – now turning to rain this morning. The wind was something else, but I was the only one home so I lifted the branches off the driveway and out of the road myself – they were under 110 pound limbs….everything is so rain soaked….the primroses are fully covered in snow…crocus still sticking out
The cover off the deck loveseat blew off – search and rescue efforts on Zips and my part found and recovered it – now back in place. I am concerned that the tree pruners will find the 100 year old gravenstein too interiorly rotten….it tastes so wonderful, I research root stocking….a wee branch of ivy comes out from the last major broken branch spot – not good.
My server is going in and out again – even with installing a new program….that creepy sense of frustration is back They promise they will fix it right away and this time for good – hmm?
I can not get my newsletter out until they fix it….slows progress to a stop
Yesterday I decided to give up taking the medicine…after 2 years there has been no improvement at all but the fatigue and depression are such horrendous side effects – well I think I would rather have some more zest for life than keep on taking it….getting free of it will take a while….the old fears have been set aside, like the branches after the storm – moved away
There is nothing like crocuses sticking out of the snow Patricia. These are my first and many years of memory of crocuses. Against brown earth they are just not nearly as classy and grand. Good luck with your medication decision. always a hard one but if it is not making any difference then it is not doing what it is suppose to do. We are still have squalls going though but they are not really amounting to anything.
Terrill, I so enjoyed your beautifully vivid description of these oh-so-well-remembered storms! When we lived in Campbell River, even though our house was many blocks up from the water, we would still get bursts of salt spray on our windows when weather like this came through. I’m glad all has settled down 🙂
I am sure you remember them well Colleen. It is amazing how far that salt water spray can travel. But this isn’t the worst storm we have ever had and it will not be the last – maybe the last for this winter though.
Courtney and I got a good giggle out of the robin checking to see what may be coming at it next! David cooking the toast on the open flame reminds me of having a marshmallow roast with the kids over a candle because it was pouring outside; ‘smores had been the plan and ‘smores we had.
As for a creative storm: I think I hole up and wait it out. Find something else to do until I have resolved what I need to do. Take care, Sue
Sue I can see how you and Courtney would giggle over that hungry robin. I actually took the photograph from through the glass of the side door into the yard. I wasn’t going out there and getting bonked. You have always been very clever about switching things up purposefully when there is a problem. A great strategy at times.
Terrill,
The weather finally blow me over here long enough to read you blog! Yeah sounds like a howler alright! The power of nature and how small we are compared to it so many ways.
Great photos, I love when the mist roles through and the trees rub together making a sound heard at no other time. There is a sense of truly being part of nature as she/he moves through.
My creative storm has been a bit of a dry spell, there is work being produced yet it seems to be standing still at the moment. The lap top has been acting up again, it needs work, truly. I weather the storm by seeking creative moments of reading, viewing others art, be it words in book, a TV show, the language of a song, voice of a bird or the smile on my dogs face!
Yes Jeff viewing others works during a dry spell or when equipment isn’t working properly seems like a good idea. I will have to listen specifically this sound you mention. I am not sure I have noticed it before. Now that will be nice adventure.
Your words and atmospheric photos again bring a weather experience to those looking from the outside. Loved seeing David cooking breakfast while the ominous signs were seen outside. And that picture of the trees with the mist is a real stunner.
A creative storm is something we all dream about, so when it happens it’s time to make sure it is taken full advantage of.
Yep! Totally agree Sam – creative storms are definitely something a person doesn’t want to weather without taking advantage of all that they have to offer.