Swept Away

Long night, sirens blaring for most of the early night. We were spared, but sounds like a couple of places down the road were hit.

Since I grew up on the Great Plains, I hate tornados. Spent a great deal of my time sitting in a basement as a child.

As I grew older and realized weather was dangerous, I simply was terrified of the high winds, and rain. I thought it would sweep everything I knew away. ?I would cling to my Dad and cry.

By the time I was 14, I wasn't so afraid of them any longer. I would stand on the porch with my Dad watching the weather change, the sky turn from dark blue -black to that omniscient murky yellow- green. We would watch funnels drop from clouds. I can still hear my Mom, in her best pissed off voice. "Get in the house, you are going to get yourselves killed."

Last night it was really too dark to see much of the sky, and we live in a valley surrounded by trees, no point standing outside and watching the trees bend, or watch the neighbors as they try and catch a glimpse of possible doom. The sirens were enough, as were managing 2 toddlers that somehow sensed the storm, and were creating their own indoor tornado.

I did note, I am still afraid, everything I know will be swept away.