Spring Storm
It was about 1:30 yesterday afternoon and I was laying on the couch in the living room relaxing and reading an Agatha Christy novel for a few minutes before I needed to pick up the kids from school. Abish had made herself comfortable on my chest and appeared to be napping. Outside, rain poured from a dark sky. A flash of bright light was followed by a long rolling boom of thunder which startled Abish. She leaped from my lap and landed on the floor, where she looked at me reproachfully, as though I had woken her from her nap on purpose. For a little while I could hear hail stones hitting the patio roof with resonating clangs.
A few minutes later, I dug my rain jacket out of the back of my closet and grabbed my umbrella and headed out into the storm. In a way, I was grateful that Steven was out of town because I had the car and could drive most of the way to the school, and I wasn't sopping wet by the time I got there.
Usually when I arrive at school to pick up the kids, there are crowds of parents in the courtyard waiting and lines of kindergarteners against the walls as families find each other and head for their homes. Yesterday, the courtyard was almost deserted. One lady with an umbrella and an official looking badge around her neck hurried to me and told me to go inside the school; there was police action in the neighborhood and the school was locking down for a little while. Closing my dripping umbrella, I went in and stood against a wall in a hallway with a crowd of other parents, as we waited and wondered what was going on.
About ten minutes later, there was an alert over the school intercom: "Alert, there is a tornado in the area. Please take cover." The crowd of parents was shepherded into an empty classroom and told to sit on the floor around the edges of the room. For the next half hour, we sat there. I wished I had brought my book with me. Instead, I called Hannah, who was at home, to let her know about the tornado and that we would be late getting home. I filled the rest of the time playing "word attack" on my phone. After a little while, word came that the police situation had been resolved, and about twenty minutes later, the storm passed and we were permitted to retrieve our children from their classrooms and escort them from the building. It took a while for the kids to return to their classrooms from the secure locations they had gone to for the tornado (My boys were all sheltered in the girl's locker room.) but eventually we were all reunited and were able to leave the building. By then, even the rain had stopped, and we were able to return home safely.
This reminded me of another adventure we had with a tornado about three years ago. That time I was with my boys through most of the experience, and it had seemed more stressful. This time it was merely boring. I don't even know for sure whether there was an actual tornado or if they were concerned that there might have been one because of the type of storm.
I don't think our area was the worst hit. That evening as I drove to the airport to pick Steven up, there were piles of what looked like snow on the sides of the road near the airport. Valleys looked like lakes that I don't remember being there a few days before. I was grateful that the storm was gone. I got nothing more than a few random sprinkles on the drive to the airport. Steven's flight was only a couple minutes late landing, while other flights were delayed or cancelled because of the weather. It's good to have him home again.
A few minutes later, I dug my rain jacket out of the back of my closet and grabbed my umbrella and headed out into the storm. In a way, I was grateful that Steven was out of town because I had the car and could drive most of the way to the school, and I wasn't sopping wet by the time I got there.
Usually when I arrive at school to pick up the kids, there are crowds of parents in the courtyard waiting and lines of kindergarteners against the walls as families find each other and head for their homes. Yesterday, the courtyard was almost deserted. One lady with an umbrella and an official looking badge around her neck hurried to me and told me to go inside the school; there was police action in the neighborhood and the school was locking down for a little while. Closing my dripping umbrella, I went in and stood against a wall in a hallway with a crowd of other parents, as we waited and wondered what was going on.
About ten minutes later, there was an alert over the school intercom: "Alert, there is a tornado in the area. Please take cover." The crowd of parents was shepherded into an empty classroom and told to sit on the floor around the edges of the room. For the next half hour, we sat there. I wished I had brought my book with me. Instead, I called Hannah, who was at home, to let her know about the tornado and that we would be late getting home. I filled the rest of the time playing "word attack" on my phone. After a little while, word came that the police situation had been resolved, and about twenty minutes later, the storm passed and we were permitted to retrieve our children from their classrooms and escort them from the building. It took a while for the kids to return to their classrooms from the secure locations they had gone to for the tornado (My boys were all sheltered in the girl's locker room.) but eventually we were all reunited and were able to leave the building. By then, even the rain had stopped, and we were able to return home safely.
This reminded me of another adventure we had with a tornado about three years ago. That time I was with my boys through most of the experience, and it had seemed more stressful. This time it was merely boring. I don't even know for sure whether there was an actual tornado or if they were concerned that there might have been one because of the type of storm.
I don't think our area was the worst hit. That evening as I drove to the airport to pick Steven up, there were piles of what looked like snow on the sides of the road near the airport. Valleys looked like lakes that I don't remember being there a few days before. I was grateful that the storm was gone. I got nothing more than a few random sprinkles on the drive to the airport. Steven's flight was only a couple minutes late landing, while other flights were delayed or cancelled because of the weather. It's good to have him home again.
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