Storms
I love storms!
Thirty seven years ago this wasn't so and I can't really point to the time that it changed. On April 23, 1968 my house blew away during the Falmouth tornado. I can remember it vividly. I was in the third grade when our classroom windows began to shatter and we were herded to the gym. I remember being driven to the site of our home by a teacher I didn't even know. I remember her slapping me when I screamed as we drove over what I thought, even at that age, might be live wires. I remember thinking she must have taken me to the wrong street because my house "wasn't there". Weeks after, I remember being scared to go to school if I saw so much as one leaf blow across the yard. I remember mom taking my brother and me to the basement every time it rained.
My very first memory was when I was two. I remember watching our house burn to the ground, while my mom and aunt tried to keep my head covered with a blanket. Nothing much has changed, as I also remember that I kept pulling the blanket off my head as I wanted to see what was going on.
In 1964 I remember the flood. Although we weren't directly involved, I remember having extra people living with us for awhile.
In 1997 we had over $35,000 in flood damage without the benefit of flood insurance. I remember living on coffee and cigarettes for weeks. I remember crying when all of Farrah's school papers that had been saved for years, floated to the top of the stairs in a plastic container. The seal hadn't broken and her papers were not even wet. Later I remember wondering why we weren't electrocuted as we walked in water up to our knees trying to save the family pictures on the walls. I remember being told we had 30 minutes to get out of Butler and having to decide what to save.
So, sometime after all this, I decided I love storms. Perhaps my fear is gone because I clearly made it through several storms. Or maybe I decided there is really no need to worry, as there is very little any of us can do about certain things any way.
Today we had a storm. As soon as I heard the warning, I got a cup of coffee and went to the screened in porch. I sat there and watched the trees bend and the lightning flash . . . until I started to get wet. I then went to the kitchen and saw our neighbor's shingles blow across our kitchen porch. I watched a huge limb break from another neighbor's tree.
Then it was over. As often happens, a little sun came breaking through, and as also always happens after a storm, I went outside to look for a rainbow.
Thirty seven years ago this wasn't so and I can't really point to the time that it changed. On April 23, 1968 my house blew away during the Falmouth tornado. I can remember it vividly. I was in the third grade when our classroom windows began to shatter and we were herded to the gym. I remember being driven to the site of our home by a teacher I didn't even know. I remember her slapping me when I screamed as we drove over what I thought, even at that age, might be live wires. I remember thinking she must have taken me to the wrong street because my house "wasn't there". Weeks after, I remember being scared to go to school if I saw so much as one leaf blow across the yard. I remember mom taking my brother and me to the basement every time it rained.
My very first memory was when I was two. I remember watching our house burn to the ground, while my mom and aunt tried to keep my head covered with a blanket. Nothing much has changed, as I also remember that I kept pulling the blanket off my head as I wanted to see what was going on.
In 1964 I remember the flood. Although we weren't directly involved, I remember having extra people living with us for awhile.
In 1997 we had over $35,000 in flood damage without the benefit of flood insurance. I remember living on coffee and cigarettes for weeks. I remember crying when all of Farrah's school papers that had been saved for years, floated to the top of the stairs in a plastic container. The seal hadn't broken and her papers were not even wet. Later I remember wondering why we weren't electrocuted as we walked in water up to our knees trying to save the family pictures on the walls. I remember being told we had 30 minutes to get out of Butler and having to decide what to save.
So, sometime after all this, I decided I love storms. Perhaps my fear is gone because I clearly made it through several storms. Or maybe I decided there is really no need to worry, as there is very little any of us can do about certain things any way.
Today we had a storm. As soon as I heard the warning, I got a cup of coffee and went to the screened in porch. I sat there and watched the trees bend and the lightning flash . . . until I started to get wet. I then went to the kitchen and saw our neighbor's shingles blow across our kitchen porch. I watched a huge limb break from another neighbor's tree.
Then it was over. As often happens, a little sun came breaking through, and as also always happens after a storm, I went outside to look for a rainbow.
posted by SMSSecretary at 7:14 PM
1 Comments:
wow! I knew about the fire and the tornado, but you have seen and lived thru many storms- and I know not only nature storms either! :)
This read like a short story--- I would have read in a book or magazine. YOU are a writer!
I was at the church ballfield cooking hamburgers for the softball tourney! Came home to no electricity and a warm house. We opened the windows and then watched the sun appear and what a lovely sunset too.
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