Weird thing happened this evening

I posted this a couple years ago... happened at a friends place.

This was what was left of the one Pine tree, Had already done some cleaning up of limbs and debree... and the one next to it had the top blown out of it too.

And when I sawed the stump off, this is how it laid out on the ground ... It had been a solid tree before getting struck. And the wood dried out fast.

The power of a lightning bolt, sure made a good wood splitter. LOL

Yea, lightning is powerful. Have seen it's awesomeness many times...

DJ's comment reminded me of the time watching the north forty and lightning hit the tree that was out in the middle of it between two fields. Blew chunks of wood and bark almost all the way to the west fenceline. over 600 feet... and in the same storm it burnt a hole into the ground about 12 feet around...and made a divit there about half foot deep.

 Then one of the cottonwood trees got hit that was by the house and blasted a 30" limb off the tree nearly missing the old porch roof... to close.

 Then there was a time finding 5 heifers dead under a tree after a storm, that wasn't pretty. Dad said if your going to stand under a tree, do not pick the tallest one but the shortest one and let the tall one be the lightning rod...

  and there was a time when I was milking cows and it was just pouring rain out and all of a sudden the cows got jittery and static in the air in the barn and there was a 'Kasnick' and everything outside lit up bright and the barn rumbled and BANG! almost all at the same time... Good thing we had lightning rods on the roof and the old copper cable still grounded. 

  and yet another time  done with chores and went green chopping for the cows and 1/2 mile away from the buildings I was chopping with the old D17 diesel and had 2/3 of a load on when black clouds rolled in and started boomin and banging and raining hard. I jumped off the tractor and went under the wagon thinking the hay would shed the rain some. and laid on the reach under there and hoped the lightnin wouldn't hit the outfit... the lightnin was awful close. There were times I couldn't hear the tractor running. after it passed, there was water standing everywhere. Finishe the load and hauled the wagon home to the moos.

 Nuther time Watched lightning hit an old maple and sure enough, it caught fire, was hollow inside. Went up and looked then went home and got two 10 gallon milk cans and went back with a ladder and went up the tree and doused the flames.

 And another time there was an old fence that ran through an old swamp and pasture that had not been used for several years and lightning hit the fence and there was fire all along it. Made for easy seeing the fencline...but that burnt a few acres.

  and the most memorable ...

I use to rent a field  (until it changed hands), and was down there cultivating beans and got the feeling when I was 2/3rds done on the last field, looked up and thought I should go home... and that urge got harder and harder... I had about four rounds left on the west edge of the field when dark clouds came rolling in. Already rolling in 6th gear trying to finish the field and it started raining pretty hard and I still had two passes left and then I was down to one and lightning cracking all over. This ground had clay in it and water started running down between the rows ahead of the wheels and tractor started slippin and sliding on that crap and behind the cultivator dust was rolling up. Spun my way up the next knob and slid down the other side and we had standing water at the end of the field... Kicked the 45-20 into seventh and headed out to the road. Had thought about stopping under a tree down by the road but I was already totally soaked so... 8th gear and headed home the 3 miles. Dang cold rain. But that was alright, cuzz the field was finished and didn't need to go back. I remember that day real well, after I let there, the tree I had thought about parking under got hit and blew a good limb down out of it and across the driveway. LOL 

   Well, while I was writing this, the phone just rang and it is an early severe weather warning. 55- 65 MPH wind with 1/4" size hail could be possible.

 We already had a bunch of rain and lightning this morning and now watching a cloud bank coming at us at 55 mph and lightning flashing out of these clouds and loud rumblings too... So I will see how this plays out. should be over by noon.