I enjoyed reading this and reflecting on tornadoes I have feared and loathed during my younger years in Iowa and Kansas. Especially Kansas where we often took our supper plates to the basement as the evil winds came close to our town. I am glad that you came through the windy episode in good health as I enjoy my steaming mug of coffee 👍
Years ago I lived in a four unit building and lived there a year or two and still didn't know my neighbors until one day the woman upstairs was the victim of a potential home invasion. Luckily the bad people didn't get in her apartment and she wasn't home at the time. She gathered the rest of the building on the stairway to find out what we saw or knew about the bad people. We all talked for a couple of hours and I felt we really got to know each other that day so we were better prepared to look out for each other should we need to.
Small kindnesses. We would all be better off if we each took the time to share a few each day. Hold the door open for someone, smile at a senior and say hi when you pass by, pay for someone’s coffee. You make their day and chances are they’ll pay it forward to someone else. In our uncivilized time, these small kindnesses mean so much more.
I remember with a smile the time a group of us Californians were in Dallas on a work assignment, working in a large conference room that had a huge picture window that had a gorgeous view of the sheet lighting marching toward us across the flatness of Dallas. As we admired the view, a native poked his head into the room and said, "Um...you probably don't want to stay in this room much longer...there's a tornado alert out. When you hear the building sirens go off, run like hell to the concrete stairwell and stay there. When the tornado gets close enough, it will suck out that plate glass window you are sitting next to . . . and maybe you, too." Who knew?! We ran like hell. (And people think earthquakes are scary. Pfffft.)
This reminds of the time in July 2016 when we were at a family reunion in Iowa, and awoke in our hotel room to the sounds of thunder, heavy rain pelting against the window, and a siren that wouldn't quit. It took me a minute to realize it was a tornado warning siren. Figures that we were at a family reunion -- my grandfather (and apparently his mother before him) was deathly afraid of bad weather, and we rarely spent time at my grandparents' house in the summer without being hauled out of bed and down into the dirt cellar at least once. Needless to say, we all had a lot to talk about over breakfast that morning!
Wow. Didn’t expect to find something local. I woke up at 5:20 in Hilliard wondering if it was “just” radar detected atmospheric rotation. Didn’t take long to confirm an actual tornado so I headed to an interior windowless area of my three story townhouse. We in central Ohio are generally safe from natural disasters but these scares are real. Happy that nothing catastrophic happened from this to my knowledge.
Talked to my sister yesterday who lives in Naperville. She had tv on listening to the alerts.changed directions so all okay and didn’t have to go to basement.being a southern Californian I thankfully am clueless. Glad you were safe.
This reminded me of the tornado of 1953 in Cleveland. My brother was 3 weeks old and I was 7. I can still hear the windows breaking and the power lines crackling and falling. We lived upstairs and ended up going downstairs with the folks who lived there. I was terrified of storms until I was 30 and resolved it in therapy. Glad you are okay. Strangers do become friends in situations like that.
Loved this!! Connie, you can make a fun adventure out of anything!! Reminds me of the time I was staying in a hotel room in Orange, OH with my brother and sister in law and the fire alarm went off. We got out of bed, threw on our clothes and then actually filled our suitcases real fast and took them with us. LOL! We had apparently decided that we were not about to lose our "stuff" to some dumb hotel fire. We made our way down the stairs with bags in tow, and had to go outside in the middle of the night and wait for the all clear. We saw no fire or smoke and it was probably a false alarm from someone who was bored. Dragging our bags back up several flights of stairs was just no fun at all.
Smiling always as you make lemonade, not coffee, out of a situation that could have been met with lemons and scowls. The chance meeting of strangers that turns into friendships for the moment are so random and necessary to appreciate when they happen. You're always a welcome smile in my email. :)
Whoa, Dorothy! Glad you weren't blow into Kansas (vs Emerald City, which is actually aspirational). You're right about comrades-in-possible-disasters. I remember so well the camaraderie and kindnesses freely bestowed in San Francisco at the time of the 1989 earthquake. Foodie city that it is, the running joke was that only in San Francisco is duck and radicchio part of the free-for-all giveaways from restaurants. It was all for one and one for all. Friends from all parts of the city showed up at my house spontaneously, and once I got over the fear of turning on my gas stove, what a party we had.
I enjoyed reading this and reflecting on tornadoes I have feared and loathed during my younger years in Iowa and Kansas. Especially Kansas where we often took our supper plates to the basement as the evil winds came close to our town. I am glad that you came through the windy episode in good health as I enjoy my steaming mug of coffee 👍
Years ago I lived in a four unit building and lived there a year or two and still didn't know my neighbors until one day the woman upstairs was the victim of a potential home invasion. Luckily the bad people didn't get in her apartment and she wasn't home at the time. She gathered the rest of the building on the stairway to find out what we saw or knew about the bad people. We all talked for a couple of hours and I felt we really got to know each other that day so we were better prepared to look out for each other should we need to.
Love this!
nice. I like it when I can write with this kind of comedy and flow. good job grandma!!!!!! Sincerely, Grandma Lizzie
Small kindnesses. We would all be better off if we each took the time to share a few each day. Hold the door open for someone, smile at a senior and say hi when you pass by, pay for someone’s coffee. You make their day and chances are they’ll pay it forward to someone else. In our uncivilized time, these small kindnesses mean so much more.
I remember with a smile the time a group of us Californians were in Dallas on a work assignment, working in a large conference room that had a huge picture window that had a gorgeous view of the sheet lighting marching toward us across the flatness of Dallas. As we admired the view, a native poked his head into the room and said, "Um...you probably don't want to stay in this room much longer...there's a tornado alert out. When you hear the building sirens go off, run like hell to the concrete stairwell and stay there. When the tornado gets close enough, it will suck out that plate glass window you are sitting next to . . . and maybe you, too." Who knew?! We ran like hell. (And people think earthquakes are scary. Pfffft.)
This reminds of the time in July 2016 when we were at a family reunion in Iowa, and awoke in our hotel room to the sounds of thunder, heavy rain pelting against the window, and a siren that wouldn't quit. It took me a minute to realize it was a tornado warning siren. Figures that we were at a family reunion -- my grandfather (and apparently his mother before him) was deathly afraid of bad weather, and we rarely spent time at my grandparents' house in the summer without being hauled out of bed and down into the dirt cellar at least once. Needless to say, we all had a lot to talk about over breakfast that morning!
Wow. Didn’t expect to find something local. I woke up at 5:20 in Hilliard wondering if it was “just” radar detected atmospheric rotation. Didn’t take long to confirm an actual tornado so I headed to an interior windowless area of my three story townhouse. We in central Ohio are generally safe from natural disasters but these scares are real. Happy that nothing catastrophic happened from this to my knowledge.
Talked to my sister yesterday who lives in Naperville. She had tv on listening to the alerts.changed directions so all okay and didn’t have to go to basement.being a southern Californian I thankfully am clueless. Glad you were safe.
This reminded me of the tornado of 1953 in Cleveland. My brother was 3 weeks old and I was 7. I can still hear the windows breaking and the power lines crackling and falling. We lived upstairs and ended up going downstairs with the folks who lived there. I was terrified of storms until I was 30 and resolved it in therapy. Glad you are okay. Strangers do become friends in situations like that.
Thank you for that day brightener, Connie. And I love that the dogs got along, too!
So grateful everyone was safe.
Loved this!! Connie, you can make a fun adventure out of anything!! Reminds me of the time I was staying in a hotel room in Orange, OH with my brother and sister in law and the fire alarm went off. We got out of bed, threw on our clothes and then actually filled our suitcases real fast and took them with us. LOL! We had apparently decided that we were not about to lose our "stuff" to some dumb hotel fire. We made our way down the stairs with bags in tow, and had to go outside in the middle of the night and wait for the all clear. We saw no fire or smoke and it was probably a false alarm from someone who was bored. Dragging our bags back up several flights of stairs was just no fun at all.
Turns out there really was a tornado.
https://www.dispatch.com/story/weather/severe/2024/02/28/tornado-confirmed-licking-county-jersey-warning-columbus-ohio-nws-franklin-county-london/72771764007/
I’m very glad it didn’t put you in actual danger!
Smiling always as you make lemonade, not coffee, out of a situation that could have been met with lemons and scowls. The chance meeting of strangers that turns into friendships for the moment are so random and necessary to appreciate when they happen. You're always a welcome smile in my email. :)
Whoa, Dorothy! Glad you weren't blow into Kansas (vs Emerald City, which is actually aspirational). You're right about comrades-in-possible-disasters. I remember so well the camaraderie and kindnesses freely bestowed in San Francisco at the time of the 1989 earthquake. Foodie city that it is, the running joke was that only in San Francisco is duck and radicchio part of the free-for-all giveaways from restaurants. It was all for one and one for all. Friends from all parts of the city showed up at my house spontaneously, and once I got over the fear of turning on my gas stove, what a party we had.