HAIL!

Hail stones the size of golf balls powered by high winds are extremely dangerous in Iowa in the middle of the growing season.  Power poles snapped off, corn stripped and gone!  This is what North Iowa farmers are dealing with this morning.  Broken windows, siding and dented cars as well as dead animals in the fields!  So sad for my friends and neighbors.  We, on the other hand, have tree and plant damage that won’t affect our livelihood but it makes me sad to see my beloved houseplants, who are living outdoors, stripped and broken.


Canna leaves, elephant ears, orchids, and cacti – all damaged beyond repair.


And my beautiful little garden – I was admiring the pumpkin vines that were already chest high just last night and thought “why would I need another picture of them?”  Here they are this morning.


Very sad.  And especially sad for my neighbors.  What an awful Monday morning.

61 thoughts on “HAIL!

  1. Marilyn

    So sad – I can’t imagine the hail killing animals – how awful. And you losing such beautiful plants too hope many will come back from the damage. God bless all of you.

  2. Carol Brooks

    OMG Mary, how devastating. Your plants are always so lovely…it’s hard to see them torn apart!

  3. Janie

    I’m so so sorry to hear that. Maybe some things will come back. Feel so bad for the animals.

  4. Pam

    So sorry to see the damages. Love you newsletter. Hope the summer will bring some gentle weather so you and your gardens can revive.

  5. Kathy Hanson

    Oh so sorry! All everyone’s hard work! We heard it was coming but so sorry it hit in your area so hard. We are on SE Minnesota and we were fortunate but knew it might hit here as well. For those folks that counted on their crops and animals for their livelihood it is devastating. You have lost a lot as well. Glad you and your home are ok!!

  6. Bonnie

    Mother Nature is not always kind. How sad for you and your neighbors to have all that damage. What a sad Monday.

  7. Patty McDonald

    How terrible! Your pictures show the loss and sadness. I never knew how devastating the weather was in Iowa during the summer. You put so much love in everything you do that it breaks my heart to see the damage. The loss of animals is so sad. I pray for healing. Patty Mc

  8. Ann Roth

    I am so very sorry. You have labored long and hard. I will pray for you and your neighbors.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Rhoda – one of our neighbor’s cows – must have been struck by lightening or hit just right by hail

  9. Pat Smith

    So sorry to hear about the dreaded hail. As a native of Iowa I can’t tell you how many times we were in the basement. I hope people’s animals are all right and the crops weren’t damaged too badly. Corn must be pretty tall by now. Hope there’s time for recovery. Everyone’s hard work including yours…

  10. Linda

    Oh–how absolutely awful—–I hope all your animals are OK this morning.. Your poor plants and garden…We had golf ball size hail the beginning of April….One car got HUGE dents and my hundred year old evergreen lost so many little branches–never to be the same….We had to get a new roof on the house and new skylights and one broken window fixed..I feel so for you today….No-no fun….So terrible for the farmers….heartbreaking…..

  11. Kathy Robin

    I am sorry to hear about your bad weather and the damage to people live stoke and their fields of food. Your garden will be a mess to clean up but you are okay that is the important thing. Here in British Columbia Canada we have over 240 forest fires and apparently over 10,000 people have been evacuated from their homes not know if they house will be there after the fires are out or not. All very sad and really seeing the pictures very scary indeed. Take care a good luck with your clean up.

  12. Sharon Ernst

    SO sad!! And so sorry for your losses! I really hate extreme weather!! Thankful you are safe tho!

  13. Pam Wakeman

    So sorry about your plants. Loved seeing the kitties in the pictures! I’m assuming that your home and buildings weren’t damaged as well, or not badly. I always look forward to your posts. Thanks for sharing!

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Pam – I think our buildings are ok but many neighbors SE of us had broken house windows, siding and car windows.

  14. Kathy

    How sad to see what damage Mother Nature can do to us. I never take any of it or anywhere people live for granted cause it affects all of us so much. Thank goodness you and your beloved animals are okay. It had to sound terrible while it was going on!!!

  15. Susan Sundermeyer

    Mary, I am so sorry for all the plant damage and the death of animals. What a loss to the livelihoods of farmers. My prayers go out to all those affected.

  16. Donna Sproston

    So sorry for all those trying to clean up and assess damage. All the crops and livestock destroyed are hard to conceive after seeing them so healthy yesterday.

  17. Dee t

    We had a tree hit with lightening and other stuff in ñe Illinois,. I pray for you and all your neighbor,and animals, I am in the hospital had back surgery again. Take care of yourself and all your animals,. You are in my prayers.

  18. Kate

    So sorry. Growing up a farmer’s daughter, I know how devastating one bad storm can do to a crop. I hope you can salvage your potted plants, but the pumpkins look pretty well gone. Hope I’m wrong. I lost my pumpkin crop last year.

  19. Ann Gupton

    I was hoping the bad weather would end but I think it just kept building after it left Minnesota.
    We live here n Le Sueur Mn. And it formed a strong front line after leaving here.
    Gaylord and Windom had golf ball size hail and a couple tornados south of there.
    We had hail damage several years ago…does so much damage. My heart goes out to the farmers and homeowners and animals too. You never get use to this…

  20. Diane

    Oh my, Mary. That is awful. I am so sorry about your neighbors crops and animals and your plants. Yours are always so beautiful. I am happy you and Rick and all your wonderful animals are okay.

  21. Deedee McDonald

    So so sorry for your neighbors and their poor animals. Thankfully you are ok. Prayers to all of you .

  22. Polly Perkins

    Oh no! Hail is very destructive especially with high winds. We have had storms with hail, wind and 7-10 inches of rain in an hour. Luckily no real damage right here but very close many trees uprooted and branches down. Mother Nature is not very nice sometimes.

  23. Diana

    We were out of the state over the weekend and came home on Sunday evening late. Kept seeing that there was a chance of severe weather. Our area missed this round but a few weeks ago we had tornados within just a few miles of us, and I watched them as they formed. Weather can be so beautiful but also so powerful and destructive.

  24. Susan

    I, too, am very sorry to hear about the damage to livestock and plants. I hop your roof is ok!

  25. Paula

    I am so sorry for the devestation in your area and at your home. I am very Thankful that you and your neighbors did not suffer losing a home or a human family member. Sometimes we need to look closely for the Blessings after the Storm. Prayers for Strength.

  26. Kate Schloemer

    So very sorry for everyone’s loss. The farm crops are not at a decent price the way it is and it’s so devastating for them. Loss of animals is even worse.
    I would be so devastated to have my garden ruined. That what I rely on for food in the winter.

  27. Ann Barlament

    Sorry to hear about the bad weather. I think you will find your house plants are quite resilient, what was damaged will grow new shoots. I always wanted to live in the country and be a farmer’s wife, but they probably have more stress dealing with Mother Nature.

  28. Sue

    Oh, Mary….I am so sorry. What a terrible thing to happen! Did it come in the night and you got up to it?
    I am a gardener, too, and feel your pain. And, the pain of all the farmers that had devastation to their crops. Good luck to you cleaning up and hopefully some of your plants will come back.

  29. Janice Hebert

    Oh, that is terrible. I can’t imagine hail that damaging. We’ve had a sad day here as well. My four hens were out and we left for a half hour. Thought they’d be safe for that amount of time, wrong. We came home to piles of feathers, was sure the coyote had gotten all four. Well, we found the body of one. No damage but dead. Must have broken it’s neck. Two others were just gone, but I know they’re dead as the feathers were just too many not to be but I did a check around the house and found one alive. She’s with me now on the breezeway. Has a surface wound and is in shock I believe but I’ve sprayed the wound with Blu-Kote and will hope for the best. She’s a big beautiful Brahma so maybe she’ll survive. I feel terrible to let them down.

    I’m sorry about your plants, nature is fierce sometimes.

    Jan

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Janice – oh how sad to hear the news about your hens! Predators are everywhere but I can’t imagine leaving for 30 minutes only to lose 3 of the 4! So so sad.

  30. Jan

    Oh Mary, So sorry for you and for all of the affected farmers/townies in northern Iowa. Thankfully you and yours are not hurt. I will keep all of you in my prayers.

  31. Angie Rowland

    How sad and unfortunately how can you stop the damage when the storms aren’t very predictable as to what will happen. How did Connie fair with her garden. So sad when you work so hard to see it destroyed. Glad you and yours are shaken BUT safe.

  32. Kris Gavin

    So devastating… sorry you have to endure this chapter of summer weather… thinking of you and your neighbors…

  33. Jane dumler

    So sorry to see the damage. Wine have terrible hail storms in Denver too and it seems to be almost an annual happening. Take care–I hope your garden and plants come back.

  34. Claudia Voorhees

    oh that is just terrible…… hail is horrible and what it does. Your beautiful garden ! ….. so sad. And I feel so bad for farmers… We have been lucky here, ( knock on wood) so far… but they are predicting storms for us tomorrow and tomorrow night. Ugh.

  35. Martha Engstler

    I echo the sentiments of all those before me. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to have that kind of loss. I’m praying also for all those many people displaced by fire here and in Canada. I wonder about Connie’s garden. Did she have that much damage also?

  36. Sue Blazevski

    So sorry to see the damage done by the hale and winds. Your beautiful garden was pretty much destroyed. Did the storm get Connie’s garden, too? I hope not. Your houseplants will come back, hopefully. Still a lot of growing time left. I would have cried when I saw the damage. Hope your animals were all alright.
    Sue

  37. Bobbie Woodruff

    That’s so sad Mary. But I’m glad you didn’t report people hurt. If I was traveling in that area it would have scared me to death. I think if that’s normal after my hubby retired I would be moving. I live in western Washington we get a lot of rain but no poisonous snakes on this side of the mountains.
    Take care hope your clean up doesn’t take to long.
    Love you blog.
    Bobbie

  38. Beryl

    Oh my…what a helpless feeling. We have that happen in MT too, not this year at this point. Hope there is still some sweet corn left. there was a devastating storm in MN earlier this summer that destroyed their crops too. Some of your plants will come back, I’m sure. I’m glad no one was hurt.

  39. Jane in NV

    So sorry, Mary.
    I know your green-thumb will do its magic. All will be better.
    How did Hazel and the other animals take the storm noise?
    How did Connie’s garden fair?
    Wish I was there to help you clean up.
    Hopefully Rick is home safe and will be there to help out and not on the dangerous roads?
    Take care. Thinking of you.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Jane – thanks so much – I have not been to town to see if Connie had damage but I doubt it. Mostly a swath running NW to SE of town.

  40. Linda

    Sad to see your wonderful plants and flowers damaged, but glad you and your family are safe.

  41. Carol T

    I’m so very sorry….I know a bit of how you’re feeling….shredded hostas etc ……I’m so sad when I think of you and this mess….

  42. Debbie Archer

    My heart is breaking for all of the loss. My husband and I were visiting our son and family in Forest City a couple of weeks ago. We drove through the country side just to look at the fields and barn quilts.
    My prayers go out to everyone.

  43. Wendy

    Mary – I am so sorry to hear about the devastation in and around your area. How awful for you and your neighbors!

  44. Emily

    I am so very sorry and sad, Mary, for you and everyone’s losses! We have a farm with chickens, cows, dogs, and cats. It could have happened in our area. We have had lots of storms with threatening hail this year, too. Please know that you and others who were affected are in our thoughts and prayers.

    You take care.

  45. Felicia Hamlin

    It is sad to see so much devastation, I hope your plants will come back you work so hard tsking care of them. Hugs.

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