After Helene

The monster storm called Hurricane Helene has come and gone, one of the largest storms to hit the U.S. At least 30 people in 4 states are known to have perished. Thousands of homes, businesses and government buildings have been destroyed. Some communities will not be able to rebuild. And the tropics are still very active, with more tropical waves forming. August into October is typically the most active time with the majority of very powerful storms developing during these three months. 
I stayed awake all night listening to the heavy waves of rain and tree limbs falling on our metal roof. We were fortunate that none of our big trees came down although several large limbs did fall. One oak limb fell on our driveway where we usually park the car. Thankfully we had decided to garage the car last night. The heavy limb would have crushed it. I've worked most of the day cleaning up tree debris and I'm really tired. Knowing that this is when I make stupid/dangerous mistakes, I'm taking a long 'shower/lunch and Blip' break. Two guys from Tampa, following the storm with chainsaws and their new front loader equipped for moving downed trees, helped me deal with the fallen tree limbs since my little battery powered chain saw didn't stand a chance. They charged a reasonable amount and didn't try to gouge me. The house sustained no apparent damage and most of our trees are in good shape. Every neighbor I talked with on our morning walk agreed that it could have been a lot worse. My heart aches for others who have lost everything. 
Oh, I noticed this tiny Green Tree Frog early this morning on our sliding glass door. She had no doubt come to dine on the moths attracted by the light I left on so we could see what was going on in our back yard. 
Thanks for taking the time to read this. m