We had an unusual storm this week. It started as a standard T-storm, but half way through we got a lot of pea-sized hail. Hail is very unusual in our area. I went out to the back porch for a closer inspection. The hail formed an incredible illusion. I couldn’t see the hail coming down. Once it hit the ground, it bounced up. It looked like the hail was popping up out of the grass, like some vast hoard of underground insects trying but failing to fly up and attack the Earth. It hit everything else in the area, of course. It made quite a popping sound when it hit the side of the house, a fence, or another solid object. But the most surprising was the hail that hit the outdoor air conditioning unit. The fan was running, and threw the hail horizontally in all directions, like tossing pebbles into a giant blender. It was quite a show.

There was an exciting explosion this morning a little before 8. A group of offices had a gas leak. Anybody in our neighborhood felt their house shake. Some people thought it was a house nearby that blew up. Some thought it was an earthquake. We were at breakfast and didn’t feel a thing. One of our neighbors, who will have hip replacement surgery in a few weeks, came over after we got home to see if we knew what it was. We didn’t know at the time, but I found a report on the internet not long after he left. I went next door to let him know. I’m glad I caught him. He had a flashlight in hand and was prepared to climb into his attic to make sure the roof was still in place. I’m very glad I caught him before he tried climbing a ladder with his bum hip.

It’s a relaxing weekend for us. We went to a Caribbean dinner last night, complete with steel drum music. This morning we took advantage of the last of Danita’s birthday freebees. We went to the Silver Diner where Danita got a free breakfast. It also came with a free desert, so we had triple-layer triple-chocolate cake for lunch. There’s no food in the house, so we’re going to Tino’s for pizza tonight. We’ll have a fresh image of American pizza to compare with our Italian dining experience. And we’ll have enough leftover pizza for lunch tomorrow.

We’ll leave mid-morning tomorrow for a hotel near JFK airport in New York. We’re using their “sleep and park” offer. Tomorrow we’ll visit a nearby park with a botanical garden. Our flight leaves at 5 PM Monday. Everything is packed and done except for the last minute items.

Ciao!