Afternoon excitement in the old folks RV park!

Yes, I like the CA sun.  Yes, I like the lack of humidity.

No, I don't like the tornado/cyclone/hurricane or whatever that was that blew through here on Sunday.

I was sitting on the couch reading; just minding my own business.  I noticed the wind had picked up.  The RV was shaking from the canopy whipping up and down.  It was loud and I was a bit worried.  I looked out my window just in time to see my neighbor's canopy go flying up and over their RV!  Two lawn chairs went past me...in the air.  My canopy lifted up like it was taking flight.

I ran outside as the canopy had a crash landing.  One side up, one side sagging down.  The middle flapping up and down like crazy.

I started grabbing the awning support pole thingies - trying to put the canopy down.  Nothing would budge.  The release points were completely out of my reach.  I climbed in a lawn chair - not a good idea - to try to reach it.  Fail.

I went next door to my neighbors.  Mr Saggy-Chest-No-Shirt was trying to salvage his awning.  His wife was scurrying around in circles wringing her hands.  She was almost in tears and kept saying, "Oh God.  That was so scary.  Oh no.  Is it broken?  I'm so scared.  Oh God." etc ad nauseum.

I offered to help them, then shamelessly asked if they could help me put my awning down.  The wind kept whipping up.  Lawn chairs, tables, tablecloths, bikes, beach towels were scattered everywhere.

Mr. Saggy-Chest-No-Shirt did not accept my offer to help.  Come to find out, he couldn't hear a word I said.  Deaf as a post.  Figures.

I ran back to my RV.  Canopy was still going crazy.  The support poles were banging all around and I was scared they were going to be bent and permanently messed up.  I started climbing on chairs again - still not a good idea - trying to accomplish something.  I actually contemplated doing the poor-little-single-woman-might-break-a-nail-can't-do-anything act to see if I could get some help.  But thinking of living with myself later prevented that mistake.  About the time I was ready to just let the whole thing blow to Kingdom Come, neighbors started showing up.

One old geezer brought a 6 foot ladder.  (I cringed to think of him getting on it.)  Mr. Saggy Chest and his hand-wringing wife came too.   Two other guys and their wives came over.  They collected lawn chairs that were scattered around as they walked over.

One of the ladies had her standard poodle in tow.  He's just a giant leg-lifter and he kept getting in everyone's way as they worked on the canopy.

The men started cranking, yanking, twisting, pulling on things.  I flitted back and forth; moving tipped over lawn chairs,  getting tools, moving the slide-out in, and generally feeling useless.

Within 15 minutes, they had it done!  I was so grateful and told them how much I appreciated their neighborliness.

As they walked back to their "homes", one old lady hollered back to me, "Try to stay out of trouble, now, why don't ya?"

Working on it, lady, working on it.