!@#$%^&* Hail!

Damn you stupid Black Hills Weather! Garden ruined, husband slightly damaged, me just plain pissed off.

As Gus's sister, Dianne, Emma and I drove to Rapid City the other day we had a clear view of the Black Elk Wilderness and Harney Peak. Gus had told me that morning that he was going to Harney that day and when Dianne and I saw the HUGE thunderstorm above Harney, we knew Gus was definitely going to get wet. I stayed the night in Rapid and didn't talk to Gus until the next evening. When I finally saw him (he was 1/2 hour late for our date in Lead, I could tell something very bad had occurred (Gus is NEVER late). Yes, he was on Harney when the three hour hail storm hit hard. He and his helpers huddled under a tree until the worst had passed they were well prepared but not much helps in a storm like that. But so many other people had gone into the wilderness like they were going into a gas station: flip flops, tank tops, no jacket, no water. They all asked Gus to send search and rescue to get them. Okay, so it's POSTED at every trail head to enter the wilderness only if you are prepared which these idiots were not. There was nothing Gus could do to help them.

Anyway, the same thing happened the next day. Same hail, same ignorant people in tank tops. (By the way, the weather forecast is also posted at the trailhead). But that day two men had heart attacks and one died in the wilderness. I don't if it had anything to do with weather...

When I got home I discovered the wreck that been my garden. The hail hit hard at home, too. Everything was pretty much tattered unlikely to recover (EXCEPT, thanks to Cindy, for my tomatoes and squash which were all cozy in their wall o' water teepees). Oh Amberly, I sympathize with you and your lost-to-frost garden. I guess I'm just not meant to have a garden this year. Here's hoping for an Indian summer so my tomatoes and squash can mature.

I hope you and your gardens are okay!

I should be in Utah in a week if my doc gives me the thumbs up on Tuesday.