Ricky Lost His Apple Tree

Yesterday was a mess. Lot of rain, high winds, trees crashing down, rivers flooding, and many parts of New York lost power. My backyard is flooded and there is woody debris all over the place, but we have electricity, my basement is dry, and everybody is OK. Bad news is that my neighbor across the street, Ricky (shown above), lost the Golden Delicious apple tree that was growing in his front yard. And it was full of crisp, delightful fruit. Neighbors were always welcome to pick as many apples as they wanted.  This tree will be sorely missed. 

Waiting For Irene

They don't really know when, or exactly where, or how hard, but it's pretty clear that this is going to be a significant weather event and that it will pass very close to where I live. Gulp. [NOTE: Image a screengrab from the Hurricane Tracker at The Weather Channel].