Now, this is what I call a hail stone!

I’ve seen pictures of similar spiky monsters, but this is the first time I’ve seen one in person!

I obtained this scary specimen a few weeks ago during one of our mid-western torrential rain storms. I’m a big fan of weather, especially serious weather. There wasn’t a great deal of electrical activity—lightning is my second favorite weather feature.  (Oh,… thanks for asking: fog!  It reminds me of those days in college hanging out in the girls’ dormitory. The college was on the sea coast, so fog was common.  Ever since, I’ve always found fog to be … sexy!)

Anyway, it (the rain storm, not the girls’ dormitory) was one of those downpours where at times you can’t see more than ten yards.  I was standing outside, under the eaves, watching when I noticed white objects bouncing several inches high on the street. Another second, and they were bouncing off the lawn and sidewalk in front of me.  Hail!  (Hail! Rock & Roll!)  Serious hail!

When I saw their size and shape, I had to venture out and grab one.

Pretty cool, eh?