Tornado Season

How was your weekend?

Mine was..

Well, you know, I’ll just share this.

That would be a life threatening blob. RIGHT OVER WHERE WE LIVE!

We had some insane weather over the weekend. It all started Friday. The rain pelted down on us to the point where areas were flooded.

That’s our street.

Threats of tornados kept popping up.

“Yes!” Tommy shouted. He’s obsessed with weather. He’s also slightly insane. “I can’t wait to see a tornado.”

“Um,” I said. “I’d rather not see one. I like our belongings and don’t want to see them blown all over the place.”

Right as the weather got bad, Tom had to go into work to help keep the dogs safe. He’s a K9 handler. Obviously dogs are more important than families in the Air Force.

“Do you know how to open the shelter if a tornado comes?” Natalie asked.

I nodded. We have a tiny shelter in the garage. That tiny shelter also is home to various bugs. I did not want to go into the tiny shelter covered in crickets. And spiders. And I don’t want to know what else. (Bug feces??!)

“I don’t want to die,” Natalie sighed.

Tommy put that in her head. He was rambling on how if an F5 hit us that we’d surely all die.

I told him to stop speaking that way in front of his sister. And me. I tend to panic.

Lucky for us, that storm passed. No tornado. Tom came home. We were hungry so what does a person do after being threatened with tornados? Get Popeyes.

On Saturday we kept hearing rumblings that the weather would be even worse. So we put protection on our vehicles since large hail is often dropped.

Why not put the car in the garage you say?

No room.

I’m a bit of an—ahem—packrat.

I like to refer to it as a Preserver of Memories.

Tom vacuumed the shelter and I gathered the supplies. Radio. Water. Snacks. Chocolate.

“Finally, I’ll see a tornado!” Tommy said.

It turns out, he wouldn’t. We got downgraded from a tornado watch to a severe thunderstorm watch.

Tommy was crushed.

“I’ve been waiting my WHOLE LIFE to see a tornado!” he shrieked. And then promptly burst into tears.

“Tommy,” I said. “Like I said before, we don’t WANT a tornado near us. Don’t your like your toys?”

“I just wanted to see a tornado!” Tommy wailed.

“Trust me, you don’t want to go down into the shelter. There are bugs…”

“THERE ARE BUGS? I AM NEVER GOING DOWN THERE!”

Crap.

That was Natalie, who had been listening in. Parenting two kids is tough. You try and cheer one up and you end up freaking out the other.

Now I worry how I’m going to get Natalie down there when we DO have a siren going off. I’ll have to carry her kicking and screaming.

Lucky for us, it seems like the weather will be somewhat calm this week.

I do hope those of you who were hit by tornados are safe.

Welcome to tornado season.