Hail? No!

Last Saturday, the 24th, I went to the St. Paul Farmers' Market to buy plants for my aunt. I picked up tomatoes, peppers, and some annual flowers. I even stopped by Mother Earth Gardens in South Minneapolis to get a couple of tomatoes that were on her list but not at the market.

Sunday looked like a good day to plant, even though storms were forecast for the late afternoon. My daughter and I hopped in the minivan and headed north to Monticello.

Oh that I had heeded Michele's advice to wait until Memorial Day to plant.

We got done planting 16 tomatoes, 8 pepper plants, and 3 rows of beans before the storm clouds moved in. As we were picking up tools, the sirens sounded. And then the hail hit. Not just a little hail, but a lot of it. And much of it was large. There were three distinct waves of hail, each lasting several minutes.

My minivan got hit pretty bad, but not as bad as some of the newly planted tomatoes and peppers. I couldn't bear to take photos of them. Shredded leaves strewn around bare stalks.

If only I had thought to put upturned pots over the plants. That would have saved all of them.

Later that evening, we learned of the devastation and loss of life when a tornado, spawned by the same storm system, tore through Hugo. Put it all in perspective. I'll take the hail damage and drive up to replace the tomatoes that need replacing, while saying a prayer for those who lost much more elsewhere.