Pick-up sticks

Right after I got home, a little after 3:30, I could hear a thunderstorm rumbling in the distance. Once it hit, it was amazing. The thunder was almost constant for almost 30 minutes, and lightning was crackling all around, making you jump and almost stinging your eyes and nose with its sharpness. There was a little bit of wind, and a lot of rain. I actually had to close the back door and the back kitchen window because rain was splashing halfway across the rooms.

Then, the sun came out. After the dogs ate, we went outside to check the yard, since there are always branches down from my "mature shade."

As we came around one of the beds of bushes, this is what the dogs and I found. It's stuck in the ground about four inches. I'm glad none of us was out there when it came down. (Note that NJ humidity is so thick you can see it - that steaminess in the background is what we're expected to breathe, and to try to sleep in.)