3 posts tagged “weather”
On Good Friday, as our house endured some furious rain and small pelts of hail, a mere 25 minute zip on the Interstate away, tornadoes were touching down, treating trees like toothpicks and moving cars like small marbles. Soon we discovered that the powerful element of Mother Nature had briefly visited the neighborhood of Thomas’s sister and her family. Once stowed away in the bathroom of their house for a just under two minutes, they emerged to find many homes around them equipped with new views, for entire roofs and/or entire sides of a house no longer existed. Their immediate neighbors once had a storage shed outside that was no where to be found, yet its contents were visible in nearly every yard around. Nice wooden privacy fences that once stood tall and useful suddenly became flat pancakes in the grass. Telephone poles and other debris covered the streets out from and into their home. Power was out and the sound of news helicopters and chainsaws began to fill the air. The images I was viewing on the news soon were visible in my living room via their digital camera. Safe and sound, our family arrived for what was to become a slumber party, of sorts.
Elizabeth brought some perishable items, and we crammed them into our fridge and freezer. The kiddos played like maniacs, and I began to develop sleeping arranges for our four sudden guests. Thomas began prepping our spaghetti dinner and everyone was just prayerful for those still discovering the destruction and thankful for our family’s safety, as well as the protection of their home and possessions.
As some of the aerial images from the events were flashed up on the television, Daniel had a great description of the scene: “Oh no! A MESS!”
A mess…..yes, certainly.
Tornadoes in this area are something we are accustomed to, or tornado warnings at least, for it seems like the weatherman is always reporting on something pending. There will be touchdowns, typically even in your city, but it is a totally different story when it is your home being hit, or the one next to you for that matter. Although it was not our home and neighbors, it was our immediate family, and it makes the events seem surreal. We were very grateful to be able to help them out and give them a lighted house, hot water, and fresh/hot food to eat. Daniel was ecstatic to have playmates. Overall, Jon and Liz are very happy to have a home to return to, and many in the area are forever grateful to still have a life.
After Daniel noted the mess being seen on TV, the news reporter of that station made a comment that “Good Friday” must now not be considered so good to many. Quickly, however, viewers e-mailed and called the station, claiming that instead of “Good Friday,” it is “Great Friday,” for the survivors had another day to live and just one more reason to be thankful during this Easter season.
SO true.
....well you know the rest......
I do feel like our house is about to be "blown down" about right now. We are having some extreme winds and severe weather warnings. I just brought an item from our yard into our garage, but it was not ours! I figured I would keep it from blowing any further away from its home, and I will go hunting for its original owner once the wind stops, perhaps sometime tomorrow or Friday. Our big grill is currently laying in the backyard on its backside, complete with open lid. I am not about to go out there and try to lift it up in my condition (sick and pregnant), so it will just have to stay that way until Thomas gets home. Not that placing it back up would matter much anyway, for I think that the strong winds would just push it back over almost immediately.
As I look outside, I can see the trees bending sideways like tiny twigs in the wind's force. The power lines are flopping around like thread tendrils. The sound of the wind whipping around our house is a little creepy as well. One moment it will gust loudly, sounding as if it is about to rip something off the outside structure of our home, only to transiently pause to gain more strength for its next attempt. This same commanding wind woke Daniel up from his nap, which was randomly early in the day, but it was his nap--my time to relax a little and get some things done--and it ended all too soon. Now he is operating in an annoyed mood, in which he gets frustrated easily. Example: he is looking at his alphabet flash card, calling out the letter or the items as he sees them, yet he will suddenly yell as one card does not do as he wishes, such as fit into its box.
Fortunate for us, we do not have to get out in these high winds anymore today. We were out earlier, but things were not as blustery at that point. I would not have ventured out at all, but I finally decided to go to the doctor to get my cough checked out by a professional. Turns out that I have bronchitis again! This time, however, I do not feel that death is knocking on my door, which is a great blessing. Don't get me wrong, I am not in a mood to frolic around anywhere, but at least I can do more than just pray for help from my couch, as was the case last time. So, antibiotics in hand, I am hoping for a quick and full recovery........as well as a fully standing house by the end of this windy weather!
Hope things are well with you, wherever you are, windy or not :o)
I have always heard that checking The Farmer's Almanac and weather patterns can provide great insight into daily occurrences. For instance, how many of you pregnant ladies (or once pregnant ladies) heard that you would go into labor on the night of the full moon? I once had a professor during my undergrad years that swore by the change in barometric pressure coinciding with an increase in school fights. Once in my own classroom, there always seemed to be an influx of feisty freshmen on the cusp of a rainstorm. After breaking my leg my sophomore year in college, I soon transformed into my own walking and/or crutching weather forecast, for I could painfully tell from the pressure in my leg when we were in for rain or snow, sorta like Christopher Robin: "Tut, Tut; it looks like rain." As the years of healing increased, the pressure from a weather change decreased, and I am no longer as good at "feeling in my bones" a weather front.
Lately though, I think the weather has been affecting my family, for the boy has been boycotting bedtime. It has only been for about three or four nights, but to a parent, that feels much longer. Typically we just hold Daniel tight, say our prayers, and place him in his bed. Recently though, that has not been good enough. He's been crying and throwing out his blanket and stuffed animal from his crib. When we've gone in for comfort, he's cried big crocodile tears, stretching towards his bedroom door. We've caved a few times and let him out of his room, back into the living room, only to see him run up to the TV, pointing and begging to have it turned on for him (I guess all part of a delay tactic). We let him watch some of the Olympics the other night, getting him to a groggy state, then taking him to bed. Nope; not good enough. He cried and begged out. Needless to say, bedtime was an hour and a half ordeal, rather than a kiss and 30 second prayer....geeze!
Today, Daniel protested his nap time. I, for one, was really not in the mood. I had, and still have, a debilitating headache. Anyone who has a toddler, however, knows that a debilitating headache (perhaps migraine?) can not be one, for the kiddo will not allow it, and he or she will most likely not cooperate with the need for quiet. I tried for a nap at his typical sleep time and he cried. I decided that it would not be too bad for him to play in his room while I rearranged some clothing in his closet. After 30 minutes or so of that, I tried for attempt #2. He, of course, cried. I, trying to avoid the headache fuel, left him alone and went into my bedroom where I folded clothes. A whole laundry basket later, he had not stopped. So, I went in for cuddle time. I sang him his song, and he eventually caved, giving way to sleep. Quietly and efficiently I placed him into the crib....or so I thought. As soon as his bedroom door closed, he was crying again, reaching toward me with one hand and the rocking chair where we were previously cuddling with the other. Here we go again.....did I mention I have an awful headache...? Anyway, after about 30 seconds in the chair, he was back out, and this time, fortunately, for good.
I write all this to say, there must be something brewing. I got an e-mail from one of my friends last night that had to be cut short because, as she claimed, her son was "not wanting to go to bed on his own tonight so it is time to do battle." And, after reading some other VOX posts, like Angie's, I do believe that something has to be going on weather-wise and/or moon-wise. With this nasty headache and these quirky sleeping ordeals, someone should check The Farmer's Almanac. Where is the moon? Does anyone out there have pain in his shoulder or pressure in her knee? Check with the weatherman and find out when a new storm is coming, for I am anxious to know when my kiddo will be back to a sound and easy sleeper and my gross headache will be ancient history.
Oh, and for the record, once the boy was asleep, he was quite cute.....but I know I am bit bias :o)
