The Midwest Tornado Alley

Let me first offer my prayers to the victims, missing persons and the precious pets missing families from the recent Oklahoma CityEF4 tornado. The devastation is mind-boggling.  My heart goes out to them.

As a child, my dad and I always headed out to the porch to watch for storms.  We loved that.  In naivety, we thought we wanted to see it develop.  Back then, there wasn’t much outside the subdivision besides farmland and warnings were not the best.

Mom was the one who headed to the basement, lockbox, Smokie and valuables, every time.  Looking back now, she was far wiser than my dad and me.

That all changed in 1974.  I was still in high school then.  At the time, Dad was golfing with his best friend, Rollie in Xenia,Ohio.  As crazed golfers, they stayed on the course, despite warnings. 

Until they saw “the funnel”.  They scrambled for shelter, first in a new construction (couldn't get in), ran down a gully, then broke into a resident’s home, where they hid with the family.

My storm watcher dad called home after viewing the devastation and said “get downstairs now”.  Mom, Smokie Joe and I headed to the basement.

Now, after one just missed me by 3 miles a few years ago, what happened in Joplin, MO  and now Oklahoma City, I have fear and respect for that swirling, killing demon.

I could lose everything in this home not but my pups or my kitty.  Water, food, litter stored downstairs. 

Thank you, mama, for the dome you provided that made at least one to miss me by 3 miles.  I’ll be smart and prepare the day the dome doesn’t work.

Prayers and love to the victims, the families and the missing.