Too many stories around our region are far more serious than mine in the wake of Hurricane Irene and the remnants of Hurricane Lee.

Two trees on our roof, a couple of inches of water in our basement and four days without electrical power - as hard as they were to endure - don't measure up to the suffering from flooding and other more significant storm damage.

That said, our front lawn looks like the surface of the moon these days, because we decided to remove 11 of the remaining trees threatening the house, temporarily leaving stumps and tire tracks and a general sense of disarray (as well as no "shelter" from the street). It may be my imagination, but I notice passing cars slowing down, its inhabitants probably saying, "There goes the neighborhood."

Ah, but landscapers are on the agenda, as soon as we finish with the insurance company and the roofers. (Fortunately, a tarp has halted the rain that was coming into the garage.)

No punch line here. Just another anecdote to a natural disaster that we'll not soon forget.