Last night, we had a freak storm blow through Central Texas. During the day, I admired the HUGE fat onions, first time to grow. Thanks to Martin, I was thrilled with the Egyptian Walking Onions I planted for the first time, fascinated by the top set bulbils that were coming along farily rapidly.

I could NOT believe the racket of the hail at 9:33 to 9:47 p.m. Almost EXACTLY 4 minutes of ALL H%$L breaking loose, where I ran out to one window and covered the inside with a large quilt in fear that it was about to be pelted into a thousand pieces.

My daughter and I were amazed in just minutes as we stared out at a silent back yard, 3 inches deep in 1.5-2" pieces of hail. After a day with 80 degrees, it was quite a site to look out on.

I worried for my tomatoe plants, all about 10 - 12" tall. Turns out they made it, minus a few limbs but with centers intact (on most of 'em, anyway).

I was surprised this morning, though, as I went out, about the strong smell of onion wafting toward my house.

Pieces everywhere. Not a single topset of bulbils left intact (one or two were busted and swinging by a thread; the rest were on the ground).

They won't recover from such a late disaster, will they?

8-(