That Time of Year

Yesterday was the 30th Anniversary of the Andover tornado. It is a memory that will be with me forever. It was one of those events in life that I will always remember every detail of the day, right down to the way the air felt and how it smelled. So the following blog piece in no way makes light of the power of a tornado or the damage that it can do. It simply says that yes, they do happen, but to live in fear of Mother Nature is futile, so find the beauty and yes, even the excitement in the storm, and then use your head and take precautions....and really, isn't that how we should handle everything in life?  

It's that time of year. Yep, it is tornado season in Tornado Alley. As scary as that may sound to some, to many of us who actually live here, this time of year is rather exciting. No......that is not crazy talk. 

In the midwest, from late March to mid-June, it is prime time for spring storms that often work themselves into major tornadic events. It is a changing of the seasons where warm and cold air meet, causing atmospheric changes that result in amazing light shows across the sky, and much-needed rain for the new life coming up out of the ground after a long winter's sleep. To be honest, I think this is actually my favorite time of year. 

Yes, I have seen a good many tornados in my life and lived through some pretty crazy near misses over the years. I have also seen the aftermath of those giant tornadic beasts once they have been unleashed on homes, neighborhoods, and even towns. It is not a sight you will soon forget, and yet many after living through such a thing, will often go right back to where it happened and rebuild, and life will go on. How brave of them of them you say? No, they just know that no place is without its dangers, and even in the heart of Tornado Alley, most never face a tornado head-on, so if you happen to be in its path and the worst does happen, what are the chances of it happening again? Don't you love our mid-western logic? 

That being said, there is something electric about this time of year. Maybe it is the fact that everything is starting fresh and new. Everything is coming into color again as the black and white of winter fades into the background. The heat of the sun starts mixing with the humidity of spring days and before you know it, you can literally feel when a storm is brewing. I remember my mom used to just know when we were going to have storms. She always said she could "feel" it. As a kid, I had no idea what she was talking about, but as I grew older and lived through many storm seasons myself, I too learned what it was like to "feel" a storm coming. 

My mom wasn't the only one who knew when storms were on the horizon though. Our dogs over the years have always been pretty amazing indicators of incoming storms. When I was young we had an outside dog, who you couldn't drag in the house if you wanted to, except if bad storms were headed in. He knew they were coming long before we did and he let us know by making a mad dash inside the house if the door was opened. He was never wrong. Nowadays, we have a part Rottweiler part Boxer who is a yard and garage dweller. He has no desire to be indoors as he loves his leisurely days outdoors (nor matter the season) and if the elements bother him, he has a nice cozy bed in the garage. He is one content pup until there are storms in the air. On these occasions, you open the door and he dives past you and runs straight to the basement. He wants no part of the outside. My corgi too is affected by storms. As he has gotten older, storms bother him more and more, and long before I even am aware of a storm, he begins pacing and whining. He too wants to be in the basement, a place he usually avoids at all cost. These dogs just know. 

Me on the other hand, when I feel that electricity in the air as the heat and humidity meet, it makes my heart race a little faster. It is an adrenaline rush that goes clear to my bones. It is a feeling I have felt my entire life and I actually look forward to it each year. In a strange way, it makes me feel alive. Maybe it is because the long winter months are over and this time of year is all about life. 

As I have gotten older though, I have also noticed that with storms in the air, you can tell a definite change in people's attitudes too. Kids seem to be more restless and a lot less cooperative and adults get cranky and combative. It also affects my head. I think it has to do with the barometric pressure, but the older I get, the more these storms seem to trigger my migraines. If social media is any indication, I am not the only one. 

When these storms do hit, even in the fury that they can sometimes bring, there is also a beauty. There is just something about the thunder rumbling and then booming a crescendo and watching the lightning dancing across the sky in streaks, sometimes dipping straight down to the ground that make me feel as if I am looking at some of God's greatest works. And there is just something so stirring about watching the rain fall at times softly and then suddenly in torrents as if the skies were opened, and then finally the wind comes to play. These magnificent storms seldom come without the wind, twisting the leaves on trees and bending branches at times to their breaking point. The wind will grab the rain and send it sideways making it almost feel like it could cut you if you stayed in it too long. The air literally swirls with electricity and anticipation as you wait and wonder what Mother Nature has yet to give in the next moments. Usually, it is just a light show illuminating rotating clouds that hold the question, will they continue gearing up for the emergence of a tornado, or will they just rapidly move on by, leaving their possible devastation for another day? 

After the storm, there is usually quiet. Often the sun peaks through the dark, ominous clouds as they move on to their next destination. The raindrops glisten in the beams of light and the air begins to heat up again after the cooling rain. It's as if every leaf, plant, and blade of grass seem to stand a little taller and a little brighter after the soaking rain and the air smells clean and new. Everything is not only alive but it seems to be thriving, even after such a storm. As quickly as the storm began, it is gone and all is settled. The animals are calm, the kids calm down, adults seem to lose their "stormy" attitudes and even my headaches seem to subside. The world is cleansed and it feels almost like a peace is settling in. Is it any wonder I am so infatuated with this time of year?

Now I know that severe storms and possible tornadoes are not everyone's cup of tea, just like a hurricane and strong earthquakes would not be mine, but if you look, and I mean really look, there is beauty in the worst of things and it seems to me more so, in those that have as much potential to cause disaster as they do to bring forth life. 

So the next time that you hear that there is potential for severe storms and tornados in my neck of the woods, just know that around here, kids are fussy, adults are fussier, the dogs are heading for the basement and my heart is racing with anticipation, just waiting for that first rumble, first flash and those first drops..... of soul healing rain.

Do you like storms like I do? If so, tell me about it in the comments. Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy and look for beauty everywhere....even in the storms. 

GUESS WHAT?

GUESS WHAT?  I literally have got nothing today. I woke up trying to come up with a couple of topics, but I have learned over the years, if the ideas are not organic and don't just pop out at you, then people will read your blog piece for what it is.....forced and unimaginative. This is not to say that even the blogs that do pop out at me don't read a little forced and unimaginative from time to time, but.......

I decided that I MUST blog today, even though the ideas weren't exactly bowling me over because I challenged myself and.....even the forced word is better than no words at all. In light of this thought process, I fell back on an old tried and true trick and decided to just free associate this blog. In other words, whatever comes out....comes out. So hold on to your reading glasses cause this could be interesting for both of us.

Politics.....I despise them. I used to kind of enjoy talking politics. This of course was back before social media and people using their computers and phones to hide behind and degrade others for their opinions. Yes, back in the day I knew very little about politics. I found it very interesting to discuss, listen and learn peoples views from both sides of the coin. Believe it or not, there was a time when people could have a political conversation, be on different sides, listen, respect each others views and walk away friends. Now though.....not so much. I hate it and I find it to be part of the negativity which is wearing on this country. Let's face it.....neither side is much to brag about and political entities in general are not in it for this country. They are in it for the power and sadly, this country was not set up to be a power struggle because when that happens.....we all lose. Case and point....The Civil War. 

Hmmmm.....racism. Yep, it is alive and well in this country and in the last few years, it appears that it has had a pretty nasty recurrence of some of our less than stellar days gone by. My opinion? (Notice I prefaced this by "my opinion"). Anyone and everyone can be racist. I heard the other day that blacks cannot be racist. Yes they can. When they are demanding white people die, if that is not racist then what is it? Regardless of your race, when you wish evil, harm or death on another race, YOU ARE RACIST! And if we don't start leaving the past in the past and start trying to build unity and work towards mutual respect, we are going to be our own undoing. Bottom line, I don't care what color you are or what your ethnic background is. If you listen to me, I will listen to you. If you are kind to me, then I will be kind to you. AND.....if you respect me, then I will respect you. It is just that simple. It is not rocket science. Furthermore.....if we not only treated people in our own country like this, but people from all over the world, my bet is that there would be a lot less hate, anger and war. But that is just my opinion and I am just a housewife from the Midwest......what do I know?

Roseanne.....Lord help us all. I always liked Roseanne. Her comedy was a bit irreverent, but hers was not the only one and apparently for nine seasons no one was too offended by her as hers was always a highly watched show. Evidence of this was her Roseanne reboot that just finished it's ninth episode and was once again highly watched. Her undoing? Social media and her mouth. Now granted, even before social media, Roseanne had no problem voicing her opinion and putting her foot in her mouth. I remember being highly unimpressed when she decided it would be a good idea to get up and mock the National Anthem and yet she survived and it apparently didn't dissuade her audience even a little. Social media though is almost a death sentence anymore for people and careers. It is drunk dialing on a world wide level. People and especially celebrities seem to think their words and opinions are so highly sought after and important, that they can say whatever they want about whomever they want and it will be just fine. Guess what....they are wrong and more than one celebrity has learned this the hard way. I don't care if you are on Ambien, had a 1/5th of vodka or you are just so narcissistic that you think you are bullet proof......keep your outlandish and disrespectful opinions off social media.....unless of course, the unemployment line is your end goal.

#Metoo.....Please stop! Yes! There are women and men that have been harassed, molested and raped and every last one of them deserves justice. However, this campaign has probably set their ability to get justice back a decade. Hollywood has always been a hotbed of casting couches and lecherous directors that wanted their actors and actresses to do more than make a blockbuster movie. In fact there are literally hundreds of autobiographies, biographies and memoirs of actresses who went into the business knowing full well what the expectations were and working that very system all the way to their star on the Walk of Fame. The phrase sleeping their way to the top was coined for a reason. Do I think that some of these claims are real? Absolutely and I think these directors and people in charge need to spend the rest of their lives behind bars. However, what frustrates me is the little actress who either has never quite made it or her name is no longer in the public eye, suddenly coming forth and saying so and so put his hand on her knee back in the 1980's. If it's true, should he have done it? No, but he was likely young and stupid and touching a knee when you are young and stupid while inappropriate, should not be enough to 1) tie up the court system so real cases can't be tried or 2)make this older and hopefully wiser man with a family and a career lose it all over such an incident. I also believe that many of these people that have come forward were more consenting to the actions of the past then they would like to admit. When dollars and fame came into play, I think #metoo lost all of it's power and became something it was never intended to be. Again.....just my opinion and I pray that every woman and man who were legitimately harassed, molested and raped make the bastards that did it to them pay!

Where's Spring?.....Yes. And finally just what happened to the Spring of 2018? It seems that in the same week in April, we were all still wearing parkas with 40 degree temps and north winds wondering if winter would ever end. Then the blessed 70 degree temps hit.......for two days and by the end of the week we were in the 90's. What the heck? Now here in Kansas we have 90's every day with high humidity. It is really doing a number on people with inflammation issues, people who are sensitive to heat and anyone who wants to go outside and not sweat through their clothes. Truthfully I was very sick of winter by April but I wasn't quite expecting summer two months early either. Of course, truth be told, the weather never makes me happy and I complain year round, but come on! Let's face it. This year has been weird country wide.

So there you have it. This is what happens when I've got nothing! ;)

The Last Sunday in February

It is the last Sunday in February and according to the immediate/long term (next 15 days) forecast, winter seems to be over and spring time is well on its way. If my allergies are any indication, I would say the forecast seems correct.

So far this new year has been full and yet for some reason, I feel as if I have been standing still. Of course I haven't, although I try to be as lazy as I can every chance I get, but those times get fewer and fewer.

Mixed in with with the usual and the valiant attempts at laziness, there has also been much loss in 2016 for the world in general and also much closer to my own heart. Some have been expected and several have left a gaping hole and the ever present question.....why?! I hate loss.

Then there has been home.

Since David has done home bound school for the last few months, my house has felt small and closed in with equipment and school stuff scattered in the main living space. Add to the mix, more people than usual coming in and out, and it has been down right claustrophobic. Then in the midst of all the chaos, Z decided we needed a furniture rearrangement. He was feeling closed in too. Unfortunately, it was the wrong move at the wrong time. It just closed us in more. Don't ever let anyone tell you that your surroundings don't affect your mood. Luckily for all involved, home bound school is at its end and soon my house will no longer be doubling as a school. Even luckier is that I have worked very hard to keep my jovial persona.....even when I felt anything but jovial,

Speaking of school.....David starts back tomorrow. He will now be attending high school and my heart and head have so many mixed feelings and emotions about this move. It is what is best for him since his seizures appear to be under control and I know he is sick of seeing MOM all day everyday. We both need the break and he needs the socialization, but I have yet to even begin working through this move. It is huge in any parent/child's life, but especially so in ours. So instead of trying to put the effort into processing any of this stuff, I am rearranging furniture. There is also the loading up, cleaning out.....and of course.....blogging. That's all healthy.....right?!

Yes, my head has been full of "things" and as I sat down to write, I had no idea which of those "things" would jump to the surface and end up on the page. Lucky for you it was this. Some of the other things in my head are much darker and a lot less politically correct. So....your welcome!

Okay....so tomorrow starts a new normal for me, which will be interrupted by spring break and then in a blink of an eye.....summer. But for now, I am just looking towards tomorrow and the week ahead. There is much to do, much to organize and much to mentally process. My baby is in high school! It just doesn't seem possible, and yet here we are. Where has the time gone? Lord! I sound like my mother. Sigh........

Does this mean I am back to blogging? Perhaps. But just remember......be careful what you wish for, cause you just might get it! Till we meet again. Happy Sunday!

'Tis the Season

I love this time of year. It is so full of promise. The holidays have been survived as has the first half of the school year. Just a few weeks of cold, maybe a sprinkling of snow and then it will be spring. I can practically hear the birds chirping and see the sun shining in my fantasy of this bright new year. It all looked so cheery and bright until.....the first sneeze from upstairs. It was quickly followed by the coughing bout from the basement that could be heard all over the house. Finally, I hear the mad dash up the stairs into the bathroom, toilet lid thrown up, and then I realized......the only thing different about 2015 as opposed to 2014 is....the flu finally found us. Sigh.....it took them all at once. Double sigh.....

In all fairness, I'm really not that surprised. I mean after all....it was bound to happen as many trips as we have made to the ER in the last couple of weeks. On our last trip, you could practically see the germs partying in the waiting room. There was a collection of hacky coughs, runny everything and people hovering over trash cans and puke basins. I grabbed masks and bathed both myself and David in hand sanitizer, but I felt even those measures where no match for the germ warfare going on in that small space. Then there is also the fact that Z and his lady love are constantly out and about, never thinking about what communicable disease might be hiding in every crack and crevice of life. While they have been brought up in a germ conscious society, at 18 are they really thinking about getting sick when they share food, drink and God knows what else? Of course not! Bottom line is.....all our bodies are probably fertile breeding grounds for everything from the flu to the plague, so really there is no shock that this targeted us. The only real surprise is..... that it took this long.

As I type this, the sounds of coughing, sneezing and the occasional whimper or hurried foot steps to the bathroom are what fill the quiet of my night. I find it difficult to close my eyes for fear that I will be jolted awake by the sound of my name being sickly yelled out to run bring aspirin, a drink or God forbid.....clean up a bathroom. I also do little sleeping with David sick down the hall. I fear him throwing up in his sleep as he sleeps mostly on his back. We have already been down the aspiration road and I don't wish to travel that path again.

I guess I really shouldn't complain. It has been a couple of years since the flu bug really hit my house full force. Last time I was one of the casualties and it took me forever to find my way back to 100%. This year I hope to stay well....at least until everyone else gets it out of their system. It is very hard to take care of others when you feel like warmed over death yourself. Not to fear though....I have brought in an arsenal of Lysol, Clorox wipes, Gatorade, ginger ale and vitamin C. This house isn't going down without a fight.

So as I lay here, praying that the worst is over soon, I think of spring days, warm breezes and anything that doesn't sound like someone puking! 

Happy Monday everyone!!!