Here is a wild flower.After reading some of the last weeks posts, I've been thinking I'd start this new thing where I keep all my neuroses to myself. Wouldn't that be nice? As great a thing as it would be for all my blog readers, I know the people who deal with me in the real world would probably appreciate it the most. I'll let you know how it goes.
Speaking of neuroses...Let's talk about the weather. Storm threats have been jerking me around all day. At about 2:50 pm, my boss got all spazzy and ordered us to turn off our phones and computers and go downstairs to the basement. I snuck in a quick call to the girls to make sure they were somewhere safe. Coadster answered her cell phone and said they were just going down to the neighbor's basement.
We all sat on the floor by the cashier's office for about ten minutes until the big boss told us that a tornado had been spotted north of us and we should all go back to our desks. Since my boss said the tornado was headed right for where Mr. Dateman might be, I called and left a semi-frantic voice mail message to warn him. You know, just in case he was thinking about taking a bath or something.
Everything looked like it was going to clear up, until five minutes before I was supposed to walk home from work. Of course. I stepped outside and there was strong lightning and thunder, but no rain...Until I reached the college of business, then it started to pour. I stood inside a doorway to wait for it to pass. Luckily some women who work in financial aid were walking to the parking ramp and asked me if I wanted a ride. Why, yes I did.
Once at home, the sirens went off again and Coadster called to urge us to go across the street and meet her in our neighbor's basement. After we ran there, we found out that the tornado was nowhere near us, but I did get to catch up on the neighborhood gossip. So, the trip wasn't a total loss.
It all makes me long for the days before last April, when I happily ignored all the tornado sirens. Ahhh, sweet, blissful ignorance. I miss you so.
12 comments:
lovely shot of the queen anne's lace!
i always used to like the tornado warnings when i was a kid. my mom would corral us all into the basement, and we'd make a mad dash for a favorite toy and some snacks. i guess it's only fun if the tornado never really arrives.
It's funky, huh? I am really not a nervous, anxious person at all (well, I am lately but that's just 'cos so much is going on in life - generally I'm pretty laid back).
But when the tornado sirens go off now, I am really just on the edge of being bone-chilled frightened. And the ironic thing is, I didn't even hear the sirens that night, since I was in the car and on the interstate when the tornado here came.
I think this is one of those things that maybe sticks with you forever, I hate that thought, but it may be true. I know I have never really lost my hyper-awareness about potential fires since we almost had two in our home when I was a teenager.
I think Jenny's right, it's only fun if the tornado never really arrives.
It is so odd to hear about the real extremes of weather in other parts of the world. People here still talk about the 1987 storm which was nothing compared to what you guys get yearly. We in the UK forget how lucky we are weather-wise.
Churlita,
If the cellars had had racks of wine that would haver been the piece de resistance!
I walked home in a thunder, lightening, rain storm once. Had to buy new underwear.
rel
We have lots of Queen Anne's Lace here... That is awful that you have to duck and hide and their wasn't anything but thunder and lightening...At least ya know the sirens work....
I sort of miss the tornado warnings. It's not smart to miss them, but I do, a little bit.
I was wondering what was up when I saw that my little weather widget was saying it was 77 degrees there at 10:30 last night.
Does it scare the hell out of you? I'm glad you have solid basements to hide out in.
When I say I miss midwest weather, I'm pretty sure it's the NORMAL weather I miss. I miss the weather smells and the way the air feels.
So, I guess I've completely forgotten and romanticized it all. Those crazy storms - rain and snow and ice - and the humidity and the mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are like the fifth season in Iowa.
I have never lived in tornado country, so I can barely even imagine what that must be like. Our natural disaster here is earthquakes and there is no warning siren for those.
I get antsy now when we get that kind of weather. Luckily, except for that crazy 20-minute downpour, it was no big deal.
I was going online to check the radar trackers yesterday, and on the KWWL Web site, they had the screaming weather update from Mark Schnackenberg. It was all caps stuff like
BIG STORM, WINDS OF BIBLICAL PROPORTION, RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE, DEATH MAY FOLLOW!!!
Then, in regular type, it said:
Thanks, and have a great weekend!
--Mark Schnackenberg
All right next to his smiling face!
That kind of reminds me of the tornado drills in elementary school.
sounds like one big basement party
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