Well, Blow Me Down

We got through Sandy with ease. In my area there were some trees or limbs down but not a lot of rain, although a few folks lost power for a hour or two. Not so elsewhere, and I began remembering my thoughts from a few years ago.                               Air Force Photo

That time it was about 5:00 AM when I heard my phone vibrate on the nightstand. Hmmm. This can't be good. After all, any celebs wanting to tell me I won a sweepstakes would just show up with camera in hand, and I'd already received the news that Obama actually was an American. Phew!

"SEVERE WEATHER ALERT: Tornado alert for Southern Oneida County until 5:30 AM."

Okay - not worried in the least. Far too unlikely. So I lay there in the semi-darkness of early morning - wide awake. As I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts ran to the "what if." Not enough to fret actually, but I considered that I could just be lying here in bed when the Finger of God reached down to poke my house. Hurricanes are no better -- you just know when they're coming.

I began to consider the outright terror some folks who live in tornado-prone areas feel -- doing just what I was doing - lying in bed in the dark wondering if tonight would be the one. It's hard not empathize with their situation -- especially when surveying the destruction we see on the nightly news. Those who choose or are chosen to "ride out" the hurricane know the same feeling.

We don't get weather that severe here, but we do get rain, just not this time. Holy buckets can we get rain! I live on a hill so I don't worry much about flooding. There is a culvert 3-4 feet deep on either side of my driveway, but I have driven through water running over my driveway to get to the street - which is sometimes littered with enough debris that I have to weave back and forth to get through because some stones are too large to drive over. Water is an amazing force.

I once managed to hit one with my tire which then started bulldozing it down the road. I had to stop, back up, and go around the rock. Bumpy ride all the way to the bottom of the hill. The rest of the way to work that day all I encountered was water running across roads -- seven times! Something's wrong when driving to work is an adventure.

I was reminded of a song -- Days of Rain -- by Rod MacDonald, a very talented American singer-songwriter and fraternity brother.

He sings "Thank God we're alive." I hope you remain safe when the weather is otherwise.

TGB   

Not the best quality. Sorry for that, but he's still good.