Day 141

When we bought this house, we did so with full knowledge that my parents would be only a few streets away. We decided it would either be wonderful or some version of Everybody Loves Raymond. Almost eight years later, I can attest that it has been a blessing.

Especially after tonight.

On my drive home from work today, I noticed that the sky  was getting a bit ominous. I picked up the 11-year old and headed for the house, glancing at the sky. Mostly, I was glad that I wouldn't have to water my plants tonight. And there was a part of me that really hoped I could get the dogs out and back in before the sky opened up- nothing like a soaking wet 170 pound Mastiff to round out the evening...

Pulling in the driveway, I instructed the 11-year old to let the dogs out while I brought in the trash cans from the curb- the wind was starting to pick up and I didn't want them to wind up down the street. As I went into the backyard my eyes were drawn upward by the sheer oddness of the clouds- they seemed to be almost angry with one another , moving towards each other as if they were going to fight, and growing more ominous all the time.

Then, suddenly, the clouds formed a huge rotating circle RIGHT ABOVE MY HOUSE. As I started to move towards the house I noticed my neighbors had just pulled in with their kids and I screamed at them as I was pointing to the sky. We both scrambled our separate ways- them to their bathtub and me  into my house to grab my son.

Screaming for him to get his shoes, we jumped in the car and sped 2 streets over to my parents house- because they have a basement. My parents are actually out of town, and my aunt is house-sitting, so we all went down to the basement together and turned on the news.

The rain fell, the hail hit, but from what I could tell the funnel cloud never touched the ground. My poor son is a bit traumatized from the experience though, as I have to admit I was not the calming force that I am usually so proud of during disasters. I kind of freaked out. OK, I seriously freaked out.

After we got back home, I found myself regularly looking outside the patio doors towards the sky, now gun shy and a bit anxious about what the clouds may hold. That's when I noticed a bird sitting on the telephone pole.

Some people say you can tell when a storm is coming because there are no birds to be seen or heard. But you can also tell the storm is over when the birds start their melodies again. Opening the patio door, I heard birds and crickets both chirping away, as if to say, "All is well. The worst is over. So you can stop looking out the window every 30 seconds, lady".

So today I am thankful for having parents that live two streets over. I am thankful they have a basement. And most of all, I am thankful that they have a well-stocked bar in that basement. Because I sure as hell needed a drink after all that!