We had our first brush with danger tonight – an actual tornado warning. [Let me interrupt with a story about how when we first lived in Seward, we had the terms ‘Tornado Warning’ and ‘Tornado Watch’ wrong. We figured that ‘Warning’ meant ‘be alert’ and ‘Watch’ meant “There it is, Dorothy – let’s watch it together!” Turns out that’s completely backwards.]
Lloyd was in Lincoln at a staff party and I was at home mildly freaking out. I knew whatever I would suggest would mean certain death, so I called with the cryptic message, “Either come home now or stay all night.” Bless his heart, he started to come home – right into the tornado warning [which, as you’ll recall, means ‘Watch for a tornado’. Grrrrr!] He wisely turned around and hung out at the home of some friends.
Kate, meanwhile, was trapped in Wal-Mart in the dairy aisle. She said that the staff handed everyone a pillow and a bottle of water. I think that was stupid, since the dairy aisle is right by the beer aisle. They should put me in charge of “safety” at Wal Mart.
Brad says
I have to look up the terms “watch” and “warning” every time I hear them, dang it! Whoever invented that terminology did a really poor job. The words should not have equal “alarm value”. They should use labels like “Tornado conditions” and “Run! Tornado!”. Or they could just tell people how to react. An announcement to “Be nervous” or to “Panic!” would be much clearer than “watch” and “warning”.
Lauren says
Ha! I’m going to start calling a warning a Tornado Panic. Much clearer, indeed.
Peggy says
Alert #1: Get a helmet.
Alert #2: Put the helmet on.
Deanne says
If you were in charge of safety, would you be handing out the beers? If so, then I really want you in charge of safety at Wal Mart!
Beth says
The dairy isle? Right next to all that glass? It’s the most glassy ridden isle in the store. Seems a little strange.
They should have put everyone in the papertowels and toilet paper isle.
Lauren says
Ha! Or in the bedding aisle.
(Technically, they put everyone it the giant hallway between the milk and the cheese, but only you and Annette know where that is.)
Beth says
And having two kids in the bathtub the moment the siren begins is quite and adventure…
Nothing like wrangling slippery, soapy children in a hurry, trying not to appear hurried so as not to worry the anxious and observant 3 year-old. Getting everyone to the basement with flash lights, cell phones, bottles of water, jammies and detangle spray (wouldn’t want to have tangly hair in a tornado, you know)…
It was a new adventure. Tim thought it was very fun.
Lloyd says
I know just what you mean. Every time I get caught in a tornado my hair becomes an unmanageable mess.
Peggy says
So sirens actually went off? Cool! Did the tornado ever arrive?
Believe it or not, when I was a kid we had a tornado hit my neighborhood (in Balto.) There was no warnings of any kind. It ripped the whole roof off of an apartment building & blew it all over our street — there would pieces of wood lodged in car windshields — Trees down — the works. It was awesome!
Karla says
Lloyd, didn’t you ever have tornado sirens going off when you were growing up? I guess I assume all of Missouri has tornados as much as we did in Concordia…
Lloyd says
We had tornados, but no sirens out in the country. My Mom tells the story of me waiting for my (then) little sister as we ran to the house (or maybe it was Aunt Lolly’s house) and being able to see a tornado in the background. But I don’t remember that.
Annette says
So, who took the picture? You or Dorothy?
Mark says
Heavenly Father, thank you for keeping my sister, brother-in-law and all those faced with such storms from serious harm. Your mercies truly are new each morning. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Karla says
Mark, you started that prayer wrong. I think it’s supposed to be “Dear Lord Baby Jesus.”
Mark says
AahhhmAAAAAAAzeeeeing grace, how sweeeeet the sound…
Annette says
Are you guys married??
Mark says
Yes, to the most wonderful woman in the world! Right, Rachel?
Lauren says
Hee hee -- Mark is married to one of the many, many wonderful Rachels in my life. All you girls out there should consider changing your name to Rachel.
Annette says
Done!
Rachel says
Whoops! Not it’s DONE!
Rachel says
Good heavens. NOW it’s DONE!
Lauren says
Not so fast now -- you have to use your number. Are you Rachel 1, 2, 3 or 4?
Annette says
Oh for heaven sake, duh, numero uno!
Mark says
Sorry. Mine is Rachel, queen of the universe and center of the known worlds, master of all she surveys and knower of all things knowable. Rachel with the curly brown hair and deep green eyes. Rachel with the warmest smile and the gentlest touch. Rachel, captain of the ship known as my heart.
Lloyd says
Sounds like someone is in the dog house. WARNING: sappy replies like “No, I really mean it.” will only make it look more like you’re in the dog house. In fact, the only way to make it look like you’re not in the dog house now is to come up with some funny comment.
Annette says
You mean like, “Rachel, quit blogging under my name?”
Beth says
Heh. funny.
Kitt says
I spent one tornado warning in the basement of a coffeehouse in Madison, Wis., drinking some good coffee and swapping tornado stories. That was the storm that wiped out the town of Barneveld. The barrista didn’t want to let anyone go down there, until she called her boss who said, “For God’s sake, get everyone down there, and go bring in all the people from the bus shelter, too!”
Glad your warning was just that and no more.