We just don’t do anything halfway here, and the weather is no exception. Last night, people all over the US of A were enjoying baseball or their favorite sitcom while WE were watching the weather. On every channel. Well, every local channel, that is.
And it was quite a show! 80 mile-per-hour straight line winds, pouring down rain, and in some places, big balls of hail. Tornado sirens were going off all over town. Friends in one area had gathered their dogs and water bottles and were crouched in the closet under the stairs for about 15 minutes. The closet under the stairs happens to be our tornado shelter, too, so I could really identify with that particular family! In our household, however, there is some debate as to whether Ken and I and 3 dogs could FIT in that one closet. Somebody may have to take a dog and hide out in the pantry (also more or less under the stairs)!
The neatest thing to watch on television was the live picture being transmitted by some fool in a helicopter sitting at the edge of the storm. The storm had such a visible, definable front line to it, that he could actually turn the helicopter camera toward it and watch it coming. We spent at least 20 minutes yelling at the television for him to get the @#$% outta there! Weather guy on ground, “Could we get the helicopter to turn and show us XYZ?” Guy in helicopter does what he is told, all the while thinking, “Are you out of your ever-loving mind???” This was just after the guy on the ground had announced that the 80-mile-per-hour winds had caused an 18-wheeler on the freeway to be BLOWN OVER!
During the short time we watched the storm, before the excitement became too great and we had to switch over to something we had DVR’d, there were over 2,000 lightening strikes in 1 hour. Absolutely amazing. As we watched the storm head for the areas where the children live, the phone calls started. It was time for Mom (me) to have roll call and be sure everybody was in a bunker somewhere. Call to my mother: Check. Call to eldest daughter and grandchildren- no answer. Call to eldest daughter’s cell phone – no answer. Anxiety level rising. Call to youngest daughter – no answer. Anxiety level at peak now. Call to eldest daughter’s husband’s work cell phone (the one he HAS to answer): Whew! A voice. Mandy and the girls were at church; he was headed there, and they would stay there until the storm had passed. Only 1 kid unaccounted for. Not too long after that, youngest daughter called. She had been hiding in the closet with a flashlight and her bottled water and just didn’t think to call me. DON’T THEY KNOW I’M THEIR MOTHER!!!!! Geez. Being in your 30’s does NOT mean you don’t have to call your mother. The only thing that got her off the hook was that she could report not only that she was well and safe, but that she had heard from her sister, and they were also well and safe. Crisis averted.
The rabbits only suffered minor inconvenience. Ken had to sweep water out of the barn where it had blown in through the screens. We never have vertical rain here; always horizonal rain. The garden didn’t fare so well, I’m afraid. If the rain every lets up (it’s still raining today), Ken is going to have to see if he can straighten up the tomato plants. I think the roots are still in the ground; only the plant is laying over. I spent a good part of the morning unplugging the patio drain. Doesn’t do much good as a drain if it is stopped up with gravel and dirt and leaves and the like. Note to self: put a screen over the drain. There are lots of branches to pick up, and the real estate For Sale sign in my front yard is toast. It will have to be replaced.
But we are all safe and accounted for, and that’s the best you can hope for, so we’re happy. Nothing to do now but wait for the mud to dry! I will leave that to Ken, for tomorrow, I head to Missouri with Cindy to bring back the alpacas, and a new adventure begins!
Glad you are safe. We and all of ours are safe too. We did lose power for a couple of hours. I HEARD that guy in the helicopter on the wind up radio!! Crazy!