Christmas

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

I Made It!

I must admit that once again I fell for all the weather hoopla on TV last night. They were predicting tornadoes for our area, and while it’s a rare occurrence, I knew it could happen. I kept looking out the window for any signs of impending doom. Now mind you, I have no idea what I should be looking for, but I felt heroic in doing it. By 10:00, I was sure the tornado watch was no longer in effect, and I began to relax.

Let me explain this concern: Since I was a toddler, I’ve had a dread of thunderstorms. I used to hide in closets during the day when one hit, and I’d be under blankets and pillows, covered in perspiration, if one came at night. As I got older, I thought my fears would subside, but they only got worse. My parents tried to help by telling me that it was highly unlikely that I’d ever be hurt in a storm, but naturally I never believed them. Even as an adult, I’d lie awake with my eyes scrunched shut when storms passed through. My husband, who loves these thunderstorms, thought I was insane. “How can you be so frightened?” he’d ask over and over. I just never got rid of the anxiety.

When my children were young, I hid my panic so they wouldn’t be frightened, too. It worked with the boys, but my daughter stayed afraid. She, too, now goes through the charade of fearlessness in front of her little guys. My boys now laugh at me when I say I worry about storms, and my husband just shakes his head. I spend a lot of time counting between lightning and thunder so I know how far away the storm is. That, too, draws snickers from the brave and courageous.

Well, last night, I was ready. If the heavy storm came while I was still up, I’d draw all the shades and play the TV loudly. (If you don’t see it, it doesn’t exist, right?) If I were in bed, I had my pillows ready to hide me. The 11:00 news said the watch had been extended until dawn, and the heavy rains, hailstones, and winds would cause damage. The tornadoes could come at any time. So, silly scaredy cat here tried to get some sleep, even though there was no rain, wind, or hail in sight.

Around 1:30 (yes, I was still awake,) I heard the rumbling thunder in the distance and I peeked out and saw lightening. I listened for the wind and hail, or the train sound of an approaching twister. Nothing. Absolutely nada. Within a few minutes, I no longer heard thunder. It kept raining heavily, but I didn’t hear wind or anything else. By 3:00, I started to fall asleep.

This morning, I was tired but so relieved that I didn’t have to undergo my terrors. Now, the sun is shining. It’s cool and the wind has picked up, but no storms are around. This is what I see from the front door.

One of the small gardens. Bunny lost his ears and needs to be repaired! Why the flag? Not sure.

See the little purple blossoms hiding there?

Looking through the many branches at all the little leaves that are sprouting.



The tree across the street is really getting green.





You can see the little dogwood buds.

Little guy and I made this wreath for the door.
Hope that none of you were affected by the storms. I’m fine, and will be until the next bad forecast!

Peace,

Muff 

8 comments:

  1. Hi Muff - glad you are safe and relaxed. Great pictures, love the wreath. We had severe thunderstorms - came and went!
    Love Gail
    peace.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad that your storms weren't bad as well. I'll bet you're thrilled that the snow has finally stopped!

      Delete
  2. I was reminded of a middle school student I had who was terrified of thunder. One time there was some kind of rogue thunderstorm during school hours and he got down on his knees, promising God he would do his homework if only the thunder would stop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That may have been me, but I hid my fear from my classmates pretty well! I did make similar promises though!

      Delete
  3. i had no idea about those storms....i was knitting ;)

    your views are pretty muff, i love thunderstorms, rain and snow but nothing major where peeps get hurt. just regular "fun" storms!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the worst of the storms passed to the west of us and happened overnight. You're like my husband -- he, too, loves the 'fun!'

      Delete
  4. I love that wreath! I can just picture you and the little guy putting it together. As for the storms, I am glad you were spared.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All little guy wants is the glue gun (it's a low-temp one) so he can 'shoot' the melted glue all over ev-er-y-thing! We did have fun, though.

      Delete