I was at the dogpark behind Monmouth racetrack getting my golden retriever some exercise last evening; it was cut short due to the ominous cold front that rushed in around 6:45pm and had us scurrying back to the car as the temps dropped some 10-15* and winds began gusting to 45-50mmph.

My wife called me as she arrived home to tell me of one of the oaks falling, hitting the house and there was limbs and foliage everywhere.

Well, the electrician has come and restored power this morning after JCP&L shut it all down last nite with the downed wires. A plumber and contractors need to be brought in, and as the tree crew is just about completed with cutting up most of the 80'er, I begin to see the mayhem on my gardens:

one beautiful dogwood gone; another, Cherokee Chief, half done in. K. Sarah (15 years) gone. Pieris Formosa (from Betty Cummins years ago, gone); Rh. Goldflimmer - a Rare Finds purchase crushed (flowered this year for the first time); Rh. Mardi Gras (10 years) - crushed; I did dig out a Rh. cumberlandse (which I purchased from Bette and had just finished flowering about a week ago, and at nearly 3' sat just under an almost 3' caliper limb untouched. Rh. Lavendula (smashed); Rh. Faisa (crushed). A whole bed of my elipidotes crushed (Rh. Silver Pioneer, April Dawn, Snow Squall, 'Pussyfoot', a Jim Cross specimen among others). Empimedium, hostas, variegated solomon's seal, wild ginger, and forget me not's all will come back, though now flattened.

Rh. Kalinka - smashed, Rh. Coral Velvet - smashed, Rh. Redwood - mangled all beautiful specimens purchased years ago from Rare Finds; 2 K. one Chesapeake and another, nearly 8' circumference which I dug up at Betty Cummins' property and which she called Redbud ......gone. Skimmia japonica - crushed

It's been devestating and I'm coping. It's what I and my neighbors deal with when one lives in this neighborhood and this has been home for nearly 30 years. You live in a mature oak stand, occasionally this occurs. The beauty far outshines the occasional loss of one of these beauties. I've seen it happen from time to time with hurricanes, and a low level tornado some 10-12 years ago. It was only a matter of time that one fell on my property.

No one was hurt. There were no cars crushed, we were lucky in many ways. It'll be eventually replanted; We gardeners are the eternal optimists, having faith in our ability to grow and nurture plants; the new "hole" in the canopy opens us up to much more sunlight and thus a move to more natives is probably in order. I love them and have many already planted on my property. I'll research other companion plant options as well as we finish the clean up and I survey what is left.

Just not what I expected to be doing this weekend; but it's nowhere near the end of the world, regardless of the losses.