Let's hope that I will not be running from storms tomorrow! This weather! We just made it through the coldest temperatures in decades here in North Carolina. Now we have this big warm up coming. Could possibly reach 70 degrees tomorrow. But with the big warm up comes the prediction of one to two inches of rain, high winds, and a chance of a tornado.
There are special places I hide out during a storm...The local hospital waiting room, the Goodwill store, and the Safe Space thrift store. Once I sought shelter in the Dollar General store. The sky was black, lightening streaking, thunder popping and rumbling through the sky, rain was blowing in sheets. I jumped from my car and dashed into the store. Several shoppers looked up, wondering if I had been struck! Just as I got inside the Dollar General, both front doors blew wide open from a gust of wind, strewing colorful plastic across the parking lot. Stacks of wading pools and trash cans slid with gusto across the lot and out of sight! One young clerk threatened to quit when the manager yelled, "we need to catch this stuff". Had I caused all this???
Many times in earlier posts I talked about storms. I am seriously afraid of storms. My Mother was seriously afraid of storms. Mama kept a little overnight bag packed and when it thundered, well she was out of the house and into the car. If you didn't want to run, fine, but the storm was over her house and she was leaving! Oh mama, what a trait to inherit. That's okay, I love you and miss you every day!
Most of the pictures of mama posted on my blog were taken when she was young. She was much older in this one...
Mama was spending a week with Poppy and me. I remember saying to her, "you look so pretty sitting there mama, let me take your picture".
Back when Lynn and Andee were small we lived in Smyrna, Tennessee. Stationed at Sewart Air Force Base. We lived on base in a mobile home park. Late one afternoon the sky turned a deep bluish purple color. Thunder could be heard rumbling in the distance. The living room started getting dark so I turned on the lamps. Before I knew it the storm was upon us. Trying to be brave, I took Andee and Lynn, the coloring books and crayons, and got on the bed in the back bedroom. Coloring was the farthest thing from my mind. Suddenly, lightening hit something nearby. I peeped up the hallway and could see flames through the kitchen curtains. No, it was not our place that was burning, but lightening had hit the telephone pole at the end of our mobile home. Somehow a car parked near the pole was on fire...the tires on the car were burning. In a panic I grabbed Andee in my arms and got Lynn by the hand. We ran out the back door, through the storm, to the nearest neighbor's place. This was a pretty stupid thing to do as there were live wires laying on the ground. Sometimes you are safer to hunker down and just stay put. I have a hard time believing this when a storm is brewing.
Lynn and Andee playing with a friend in that same old mobile home in Tennessee in 1965...
Lynn and our lovely yellow Cadillac...
Andee in her unusual crib. Made of wood and screen wire. Wish I had kept it...
Okay, I have gone on long enough. Thank you for visiting.
Love,
Henny Penny
There are special places I hide out during a storm...The local hospital waiting room, the Goodwill store, and the Safe Space thrift store. Once I sought shelter in the Dollar General store. The sky was black, lightening streaking, thunder popping and rumbling through the sky, rain was blowing in sheets. I jumped from my car and dashed into the store. Several shoppers looked up, wondering if I had been struck! Just as I got inside the Dollar General, both front doors blew wide open from a gust of wind, strewing colorful plastic across the parking lot. Stacks of wading pools and trash cans slid with gusto across the lot and out of sight! One young clerk threatened to quit when the manager yelled, "we need to catch this stuff". Had I caused all this???
Many times in earlier posts I talked about storms. I am seriously afraid of storms. My Mother was seriously afraid of storms. Mama kept a little overnight bag packed and when it thundered, well she was out of the house and into the car. If you didn't want to run, fine, but the storm was over her house and she was leaving! Oh mama, what a trait to inherit. That's okay, I love you and miss you every day!
Most of the pictures of mama posted on my blog were taken when she was young. She was much older in this one...
Mama was spending a week with Poppy and me. I remember saying to her, "you look so pretty sitting there mama, let me take your picture".
Back when Lynn and Andee were small we lived in Smyrna, Tennessee. Stationed at Sewart Air Force Base. We lived on base in a mobile home park. Late one afternoon the sky turned a deep bluish purple color. Thunder could be heard rumbling in the distance. The living room started getting dark so I turned on the lamps. Before I knew it the storm was upon us. Trying to be brave, I took Andee and Lynn, the coloring books and crayons, and got on the bed in the back bedroom. Coloring was the farthest thing from my mind. Suddenly, lightening hit something nearby. I peeped up the hallway and could see flames through the kitchen curtains. No, it was not our place that was burning, but lightening had hit the telephone pole at the end of our mobile home. Somehow a car parked near the pole was on fire...the tires on the car were burning. In a panic I grabbed Andee in my arms and got Lynn by the hand. We ran out the back door, through the storm, to the nearest neighbor's place. This was a pretty stupid thing to do as there were live wires laying on the ground. Sometimes you are safer to hunker down and just stay put. I have a hard time believing this when a storm is brewing.
Lynn and Andee playing with a friend in that same old mobile home in Tennessee in 1965...
Lynn and our lovely yellow Cadillac...
Andee in her unusual crib. Made of wood and screen wire. Wish I had kept it...
Okay, I have gone on long enough. Thank you for visiting.
Love,
Henny Penny
I'm afraid of storms too. I never used to be until being caught in a tornado when we first arrived in Canada. I now pace up and down praying until the storm has gone.
ReplyDeleteJane x
PS That IS a pretty photo of your mama.
Jane, what a scary thing to be caught in a tornado! I do the same as you, pace and pray. By the way, my husband dreams of going to Canada! :)
DeleteI was terrified of storms until I had Seth and Clay and Frankie worked 3rd shift. I had to learn to hunker down putting Seth and Clay in the bed with me and pray that we would be safe until the storm passed. I still hate storms and I never be comfortable seeing one coming. I love that picture of grandma. I love the pictures of Andee and Lynn. The bear in the bed with Andee, did she have then still when you lived in the house with the big magnolia tree? It seems like I remember this bear from somewhere. I pray for calm weather tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteLove you, Vicki
Oh Vicki, you have a good memory. Andee carried that bear by one foot with a pacifier in her mouth until she was about two years old. She rubbed her nose with the bear's foot. George finally talked her into throwing the pacifier out the car window. I think she still has that ragged old bear. Did you ever find your old Christmas pictures? I have some your Mother gave me of you, Cindy, and Randy, taken on a Christmas morning. You got white shoe skates, Randy a rocking horse, and Cindy a bike with training wheels, plus lots of other things! I was looking at them today. I will send these to you. Do you know that I don't even have your phone number! I was looking for it today! Love, Aunt Melba
ReplyDeleteHenny, I even remember the foot had not fur left on it. Yes that is the picture I was looking for. I will email you my phone number.
DeleteYou live where there can be some fearsome storms, for sure. Wind storms are our hazard, but nothing like hurricanes. We are due for a wind storm tonight. There are sure to be downed trees and power outages.
ReplyDeleteWind is the only thing about a storm that worries my husband. It is the lightening that scares me. The night Hurricane Fran hit was the worst yet!
DeleteI am quite safe at home, we built our house such that we never have to leave in a storm. My Mother was very afraid of storms too. I sat out a tornado once and was in a terrible wind storm one time with no place to go but a ditch I stayed in the vehicle but it was rocking back and forth. I was glad when that was over.
ReplyDeleteStay inside the glass and tree limbs blowing all around are dangerous:)
That would be comforting to know your home was built to withstand storms. Oh, I wonder if you were alone in that tornado and when you were in the vehicle. If my husband is home, I'm okay! I panic when alone! :)
DeleteHello Melba,
ReplyDeleteIt would be very scary to have tornadoes and hurricanes to contend with! Thunder and lightning and rain don't bother me, but our dog goes nuts with the thunder. Any big noises, like fireworks, and even some heaters are apt to make her shake, and paw us in the night. Not fun at 2 in the morning, but we try to let her go sleep where she feels safe.
The crib is just like the one our family had for my sister, who was born in 1957. It may have been called a Kiddie Koop, or maybe we just named it that. They coolest part (I thought) was that it had a cover that swung up over the top, and could be snapped shut! Kept Mosquitos out, and little sister in!
I hope the next round of weather is more gentle than you have been having. I'm so sorry you get frightened of the storms, I know the fear is real!
Take care,
Pam
Well Pam, I have been running from storms today! I went to a little thrift store in downtown and looked around. While there, Lynn called and said they were under a tornado warning (in the town she lives in) and were advised to take cover immediately. The line of storms went through several counties and there were downed trees and power lines. I found a box of fabric pieces in the thrift store which kept me busy and my mind off the storms. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to know about that baby crib. The side that opened had hooks like you see on a screen door. Sure wish I had kept it.
We had a dog, "Susie" who was just that afraid of a storm. She was an outside dog, but we always brought her in when she was afraid.
Love, Henny