Nature vs Nature

The storm that came through last night did some damage to our flower beds around the yard. I don't know if you can really call our flower beds natural since they are there because of our design and construction. Maybe it's more like nature vs nurture with our gardens being the nurture part.
In any case, many of the sunflowers are bent over almost to the ground, the cosmos and zinnias are also damaged, but all appear to still be rooted. The arbor with its wisteria is blown over and many of the delicate buds are off of the hibiscus plants. 
That's the visible assessment from a distance. I'll see what it looks like when I get out and up close.

We lost power shortly before midnight, but it was back on around 2am. I doubt most of the neighborhood was aware of that until they woke up this morning. 

And maybe it isn't so much Nature vs Nature or Nature vs Nurture, but more a battle between Nature and humans as we continue to exploit the earth and her resources for our immediate benefit without thinking of the consequences of refusing to live in harmony with the world around us. The unusually severe weather patterns of this summer are no doubt connected to the climate change we are experiencing. We went from severe thunderstorm warnings last night to heat advisories for today. 
While it is true that we do our share of driving cars, consuming energy, and using paper and plastics, we are trying to reduce our carbon footprints. 
Our thermostat is set relatively high in the summer and low in the winter. We recycle plastic, paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, and aluminum cans. I often wonder about the benefit of recycling vs the emissions of driving the 35 miles to and from the recycling center. I try to combine my recycling trip with another needed trip into Springfield, but still...
I still need to look into getting solar panels for our home.
My new Ford Maverick hybrid is built and sitting in a plant in Mexico. I wonder if it will ever offset the carbon emissions of being shipped from Mexico to central Illinois and then driven home. Like many things, the actual cost of energy savings may be a more costly way and the best way might just be to do less driving or use less plastic or paper vs recycling what we do use.

I'm going to try to make peace with nature today and see how much of my flower gardens I can restore. 
What's your plan for the day?

John