Most of the day yesterday was breezy yet relatively warm with the temperature peaking at fifty-six degrees around three in the afternoon. A strong southwestern breeze kept it from being very pleasant outside here in Doniphan County but it was certainly tolerable. Randa did some training with her horse for a little while and I worked the Sunday crossword puzzle in between naps on the recliner. Around five, I headed out to the garage while Randa prepared a pork roast stew.
The wind was still blowing at around twenty miles an hour but the direction had changed to the north. In the next hour, there was more change.
As I worked inside the garage, I could hear the wind getting louder. Gusts of over fifty-miles-an-hour creaked the roof and rafters and I was glad to be inside, grateful for the little kerosene heater. Around six-thirty, I heard a strong blast and then a loud banging and screeching. Then I heard the loud shrill of metal scraping against the large garage door. Those are not pleasant sounds nor are they terribly reassuring.
I opened the small door at the corner and found a entire section of metal roofing wedged between the door and the birch tree. Nails stuck out of the tin sheet like spikes in an Iron Maiden. As I worked to get the piece dislodged, I saw the porch light come on and Randa came out of the house.
“Where did that come from?!” she asked incredulously. “Neighbor’s shed, I imagine,” I responded, twisting the piece free and moving it into the lee of the south side of the garage.
“Good grief,” she observed, “that thing would slice you into!” I had no argument for that.
We had gusts of up to fifty-eight miles-an-hour and the temperature dropped fifty degrees overnight. It’s not yet daylight here so I haven’t had time to inspect the garage door or the roofs or anything else for any further damage. I don’t know what other things may have blown loose or been damaged during the night.
But I do know that it was a good night to be inside strong walls on a solid foundation. That is often true in the darknesses of this world.
H. Arnett
1/27/14
Reflections by Doc Arnett 
Yeah, it’s been blowing like that up here in Minnesota too – but the temperature was ten degrees below freezing before it dropped another fifty. I am sure there is some shed roofs flying around here too.
I took a short walk out on our county highway but turned back when I couldn’t see the other side of the road because of the blowing snow. I hear the blizzard gates have been pulled down, shutting off I-90 all the way to the Black Hills. It’s a good time to settle in with a book and not worry about going anywhere.
Enjoy that book, Greg!