The weather in Ohio this past week has truly and honestly sucked. Between 90+ degree temperatures, (I HATE hot weather.) and torrential rains, Ohio is a muggy swamp. Areas to the north and south of Columbus are under water, and schools actually shut down this past week because of the heat.
Columbus has been lucky for the most part, with most of the bad weather going around the city. But today it was our turn for some major weather suckage.
At about 5:00 P.M. today, just as Steve and I were entering the grocery store, the tornado warning sirens went off here in Franklin county. We hurried up, picked up what we came for and rushed home just in time for this:
As an adult, I can appreciate storms like this for their awesome beauty and actually enjoy watching them. That was not always the case however.
When I was a small child we lived in a mobile home in southern Michigan, on the northern edges of what is known as "Tornado Alley".
One summer, when I was around 6 or 7, I can remember my younger brother and I being whisked off to shelter in an old farmhouse near the trailer park. The house was owned by our next door neighbor's cousin. My cousin Jane, who was baby-sitting us at the time, decided to leave our family dog behind, telling me that "She'll be OK! Dog's always know what to do!" as you can imagine, this does NOT go over well with a 6 year old who is already scared out of his wits by the prospect of a tornado destroying his home. Add to that the fact that my mother was at work, and (In my mind at least) wouldn't know where to find us, and you have what was one of the most frightening experiences of my young life.
For the remainder of my childhood, I was deathly afraid of storms. If there was a tornado watch, or worse yet, a tornado warning issued for the area we lived in, I became a basket case. My pulse quickened, I became very nervous, and would refuse to leave the house until there was no threat of severe weather.
I've finally out grown my fear of storms, but I still get a little nervous and jumpy when a really bad thunderstorm is brewing.
