Nature's Fireworks

So there we were, just minding our own business, when a nasty little thunderstorm comes passing through on the 4th. We usually pay no mind to the thunder, Baxter just needs a little extra comforting. Keith and I were making room for a weight bench in the gym in the back corner of the house upstairs. We were both standing near the doorway when we heard an enormous house-shaking BOOM! The BOOM! was so loud it even set off our burglar alarm. After running into check on a snoozing Remington, Keith gets a call from the neighbor telling us that he witnessed a tree in our yard get hit by lightning. Once the rain let up a little, Keith went to investigate... This is what he discovered:
Look to the tree left of the chimney towards the top of the picture
A closer look. Our chimney (which runs along the room we were standing next to) is in the bottom right corner:
Keith originally thought this was a rat. On closer inspection, we realize it is a squirrel that met it's untimely and fiery end in that very tree. Tail completely singed, blackened to a crisp.
Probably a Cajun delicacy.
Luckily no one was hurt (besides the squirrel) but as the night wore on, we began discovering things that had gotten fried: internet modem, wireless router, Keith's laptop power cord, garage door opener, alarm system, sprinkler system, a few outlets around the house, neighbor's cable and internet boxes. That evening while I was washing my face, I noticed that the water looked red. I turned on the bathtub to find that dirt was pouring out of the faucet, possibly an after effect of the lightning. So I finished rinsing my face with dirt water and ran the faucet for a good 15 minutes. That problem seemed to clear up by itself, and I am so glad that everyone is okay! Remington even slept through it all!
Just a side note: It's funny how much you think you need internet when you don't have it for three days. Actually not funny, pathetic more like.