Friday morning, I looked out my front window to see if Johnny and Halie were outside with Finley (19 months) to babysit.

We experienced snow during the night that turned to slush, and I saw my lilac trees practically flattened in the front yard. I don’t recall ever witnessing such a wet snow in all these 30-something years living on the Hill.

Finley arrived and heavy, wet snow continued all day, rarely sticking and when it did, accumulating as slush. Occasionally, we two looked out the window and I talked about the snow in simple terms while he just stared, but I knew he soaked up a good deal of the information. His obvious understanding of words and the world around him belies his limited vocabulary. He knows the names of our three cats and points at each one correctly when I ask, “Where’s Floyd?” “Where’s Charcoal?” “Where’s Moo Cow?”

Later that day, I posted Bev Tyner’s photo on the TC website showing a large oak branch that broke off a tree and busted the back window of her auto.

Sunday afternoon, walking up our driveway from the chicken coop I managed for our neighbors that day, I noticed a large oak branch broken off and on top of our shed. No damage, thankfully.

Riding into town with Jack driving to Jared Dillon’s going-away party, I noted three broken black-oak branches along 243 — one particularly large one just south of Overlook Dr.

I heard more stories at the party of oak tree branches breaking off.  Such a wet snow that even our sturdy oaks fell victim.

But what a blessing during a drought. We just aren’t out of the woods yet. Read the page 2 story for how close we are to average precipitation for the year, still a ways to go.

Becky Clark, Editor