There's A Storm Brewing

I'm sitting here at the little house on the lake listening to a storm brewing from across the lake. I figure about maybe 30 minutes for it to get here. Tonya is asleep on the couch, Buttons is asleep on the love seat, I am asleep at the switch.

I remember when I was a kid and we would hear the storms coming and then watch them come across the lake. We could watch the rain as it splattered its way from the west to the east side, where I am. Then the lightning would crack and the thunder would roar, shaking the house. There was always a mad dash to close the windows, like there will be tonight. We would always wait until the last minute because right before the storm was always the hottest time of the day. The air would be still, the humidity would settle in until a huge gust of wind would blow it away.

If the storm came after my father came home from work, he would get the hurricane lamps from the cupboard over the stove (where they still reside today, full of oil and ready to go) just in case we would lose the power. In those days we didn't have television up here, it's amazing how we managed to keep ourselves amused without television, video games or computers. We would break out the Scrabble game or maybe Parcheesi and play until bed time, sometimes it was cards, four handed Solitaire was popular.Then off to bed.

I'm watching the rain come across the lake now. The water is a dark, slate grey. The thunder is louder and directly across from us now, this one will go right over the house. There are whitecaps on the water, the wind has picked up, it won't be long. Off to close the windows.

It's times like these when I think about how I don't spend enough time just watching the world go by. I don't take the time to watch the storms, the sunsets, the fish, the birds. That's why I need a storm like the one that's coming, to remind to slow down and smell the roses. And it also reminds me of the fact that there is something out there alot more powerful than we are. Kind of puts things in perspective, you know?

Ok, time to get the hurricane lamps.