Monday, April 11, 2016

Ever Seen Such a Dust Storm?

 
Did you see photos of the Arkansas dust storms on Good Morning America today? . .Now, I realize that this post won't be of interest to many of you. . .but I couldn't be outdone by GMA !!!!
 
I've have never seen anything like it 'in all my years'. . .It went on for eight and a half hours. . .wind gusts to 50 mph. . .pounding and pounding. . .that fine, get-into-every-crack dust. . .seeping into the house. . .hour after hour. . .We couldn't see the sun. . .We couldn't breathe. . .the central heat and air fan going continuously. . .clogging the filters, which had to be cleaned about every hour. . .dumping more dust into the air. . .Eyes burning. . .coughing. . .and the never stopping wind. . .At one time it looked like a fog in our own living room. . .I grabbed sheets and blankets to cover the the windows and doors in an attempt to curb the dust. . .You have to remember. . .we live in an old farmhouse. . .We've sealed it as tight as we can. . .but this was an extraordinary event. . .
 
 
Here it comes. . .like a rain front. . .
 
A few minutes later. . .
 
 
Believe it or not, the sun was shining all day long. . .somewhere above the dust. . .
 
 
This wasn't the worst of it. . .
 
 
The photo on the left was early in the storm. . .We could still see the neighbor's trees. . .
but not their house. . .
The one on the right was typical of the entire day. . .Can't see the neighbors at all. . .Can't see the road.
The sun was shining up above but not down below.
Isn't it an awesome sight?
It reminds me of all the old videos of the 1930s Dust Bowl.
 
 
This is the breezeway today. . .even though windows were down--storm windows and storm doors closed--that dust found it's way in. . .About the same INSIDE the house. . .especially in the kitchen around the fireplace and windows. . .That rug to the left was once black and white. . .Everything. . .everywhere. . .covered. . .What a fine mess, huh?
 
The floor is suppose to be bright red. . .as is the log bin. . .
We vacuumed a small path to the outside door. 
 
We have been plagued by wind and rain these last few years. . .Last year we had a tornado that took us all year to repair the damage. . .It also damaged the big fireplace, which now leaks. . .This year straight line winds took the roof off one of our shotgun houses. . .We got 7" of rain in one week and lots of flooding. . .We had leaks in the house and buildings from those storms. . .Then the dust storm came along yesterday. . .and rain today. . .making mud of all the dust. . .Makes a person wonder, doesn't it?
 
It will take us a while to climb out of this one. . .Remember. . .we have twelve buildings to clean. . .We definitely have job security. . .
 
Enough of that. . .We'll get it done. . .I have two or three posts I've been working on and will get them online as soon as possible. . .One is about rural Southern quilts, which will be posted at the Duncan Farmstead, but I'll let you know when you can find it there. . .And since I'll have to take everything down in the house for cleaning, I'll be rearranging and changing the décor for you to see. . .Our living room is looking better and better. . .Coming this summer (only two months away!), I'll start a series of before and after photos of The Country Farm Home. . .You won't believe the change, from the way it was when we started, to now. . .I look back on them and marvel at the difference we have made. . .There's more coming your way. . .once we get rid of these dust bunnies. . .devils. . .
 
 
 


10 comments:

Debby Ray said...

Oh my word! This has got to be some of the same winds we were having in NC. I thought the house was going to blow down and living among the trees, I was sure one was going to crash through the roof! My son is out in the coastal plains of NC and it was like "sand bowl" there. We have certainly been having some strange weather. Nice mess you have there!

wranglerkate said...

Wow, the dust bowl of the 1930's was exactly what I was thinking about when I was reading your post! How awful - for animals who have to be out in it as well as for folks indoors who are trying desperately to keep it all out. Hope you are all OK after this.

Joyce - Quilted Nest said...

NO thank you! And I'm sure you don't like 'dusting' anymore than anyone else :) Altho this looks like it'll take more than dusting to get clean. Bless you as you labor!

Meg @ Hello Farmhouse said...

What a mess! But how neat that you got to see something that not many of us will ever see!

hron said...

Thank you for sharing this amazing post about the dust storms in your area of Arkansas. I was shocked to see this and I supposing that this is "top soil" from Kansas driven across Arkansas. It is especially interesting because of the historical significance . . . a glimpse into what the settlers of the prairie experienced in the 1930s! From the fine silt on your floors and surfaces, I can certainly see why many in the "Dirty Thirties" had lung complications from the dust. Amazing to hear of the measures you took to keep your home "air tight". Again, thank you for sharing this and I hope you will have a wonderful summer, filled with adequate moisture and fine temperatures.

Pinehurst Farm said...

I live in Indiana. We are in the woods. We have such strong winds we have tree limbs everywhere! We picked some up, but just two days later we had twice the amount again! Today we have had lots of rain so now there is water everywhere. Our pond is spilling out of the overfill! We still do not have leaves on our trees! It has been a very odd time around here with the weather! I wish you the best!
Blessings

Cindy Lou said...

Hope everything survived! I so worry about the animals!

Sam I Am...... said...

Well, there goes your topsoil! So sorry! I do not want GMA...I love the show and also Ellen Degeneres but they are always screaming. What happened to the genteel clapping of hands? I need one of those new t.v. that will keep the volume steady with out me running to the remote to turn it up and then down etc. But I digress. We did have lots of wind but I live in a wooded area so the trees really slow it down but i did hear the house creak and groan a few times and of course there have been continuous lake wind warnings. You have your work cut out for you and I had my porch leak around the chimney so I too have "remodeling" to do now. Never a dull moment in AR! thank goodness we're still here though and the houses are still standing! Take care and if I was closer I would come by to help. Your home is still so lovely even with the dust!

Pamela Gordon said...

Oh my goodness! What an awful mess. Your weather is getting quite hazardous there isn't it? The climate is changing all over. Do take care and I don't envy your clean up job!

Granny Sue said...

How terrible! I did not realize that such storms happened anymore with all the erosion control measures that people have been making. That is good soil, blowing away in the wind. Very sad. And sad for your house too--so much cleaning to get it all out. I feel for you. We had the winds but not the dust, and fortunately our trees stayed intact. I hope you are slowly getting things back to rights.

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