Battening Down the Hatches

So far Buttons the Wonder Dog, the cats and I have weathered the storm. We still have power, the house was shaken but not stirred, and so far all is good.

Some Scenes From Monson

Tonya and I took a ride yesterday through Monson, Massachusetts, a town hit hard by the recent tornado. As I have written already, tornadoes are not something we get a lot of out this way, and certainly not with the kind of damage as these caused. We see pictures on the news, we watch specials on the Weather Channel, but until you see the devastation up close, you have no idea of the impact. 

The Storm Before The Calm

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, in the aftermath of the storms which went through the area, I had many different thoughts and maybe even an insight or two. Of course my first thoughts were to make sure Tonya and my family were safe, which they were, and then I hoped my friends on the Fire Department who I was sure were out there doing their jobs would all work safe. So in no particular order here are some of the things which have run through my mind.

Hey That's Not Supposed To Happen Here

The other day while riding with my cousin to a funeral, we were discussing the weather throughout the country and how we were pretty lucky here, because we don’t have the extreme weather other parts of the country. We can’t say that after yesterday as we were hit by at least two separate tornadoes, which killed at least four people.

The winter of our discontent

Ahh winter, I sure do love it. Not really. I am sick of the cold, I am sick of the snow and I am sick of having to trudge outside to bring in wood to keep the stove going so we don't freeze our butts off. But other than that things are good here at the little house on the lake. And then there is spending time behind the dirty windshield of the tow truck in a snow storm, nothing like it.

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.

Hot, Hot, Hot

Another hot day behind the old Dirty Windshield yesterday and when the A/C in the truck doesn't work it makes for such an enjoyable day. That's why I am not behind the dirty windshield today, instead I am in front of the dirty computer screen at the little house on the lake. I think I am suffering from a mild case of heat exhaustion, don't I look pale and dehydrated to you?

Everybody Talks About The Weather

As I was driving behind the dirty windshield today, I realized something. Every morning before I go to work, and then when I get to work, I flip through all the channels to watch the weather forecasts. I learned along time ago that no one can accurately predict the weather so I put all the forecasts together then use a proprietary formula to come up with what the weather will be. I am right 50% of the time, which is about the same as any one channel. But I digress.