Storm’s a’Brewin’

Eastern Phoebe sitting on the satellite dish outside the bedroom window.

Our laundry room is in the basement. As with most houses built in the late ‘60s to early ‘70s…the convenience of main floor laundry facilities was likely something found in the homes of the well-to-do. Unless, of course you counted the backwood houses with a wringer on the back porch or in a shed out back. Because our laundry is downstairs, it doesn’t get done quite as regularly as it should. As such, we often have to make a trip down there to get a daily essential. In my case last night…a nightgown.

As I walked through the bedroom to look in my chest-of-drawers, I glanced over and saw my mother’s flannel “granny gown” folded neatly on the safe in the corner. I don’t know why, but I’ve kept it there for the last couple of years. When my uncle sold the farm, I found it in a gift box with a tag… “To: Wanda From: Peeps.” It was a Christmas gift, tucked away on a high shelf and forgotten lo these many years. Mom died in 2004.

When I looked at the nightgown, my mind raced back to the Christmases I received one just like it as one of the few presents I got from Mom and Dad. It made me smile. I can still remember curling up in that nightgown under the sheets and a pile of blankets. I drew my knees up and pulled the heavy flannel down over my legs to my toes to help warm me up faster when I first hopped in bed. Electric blankets were a luxury we could ill afford. And the heat was always turned down low overnight to save money.

I dug around in the drawers and eventually came up with something that would do in a pinch to keep from heading downstairs. As I was rummaging around, I heard the storm coming. I hurriedly changed, turned off the light, opened the curtains wide, and jumped into bed to write. The lightning crashed and echoed off the surrounding hills…illuminating the room in that eerie flashbulb fashion we all know.

I love storms…especially here in West Virginia. Sometimes they are slow moving and it seems like it will rain forever. Other times you can see the weather radar in your mind’s eye…tracing the deep red and yellow blotches of color coming from the West, sweeping over us, then quickly heading over the high ridge to the east. Storms are comforting to me. But then again, I have never suffered through severe storms like this country has seen worsening over the last few years.

Mr. FixIt and I went to town yesterday to pick up some groceries and we were talking about the severe storms this week. It made me wonder. Do other countries have tornadoes? I’ve never heard about tornadoes in any other part of the world other than the USA. Why is that? If it weren’t for the fact that the dinner table is an electronic-free zone, I would have Googled it. Do any of you know? I know there are hurricanes and typhoons and cyclones in other parts of the world…but what about tornadoes?

We are due to have severe winds again today with gusts up to 70mph. That’s worse than last weekend’s storms which took out trees and had our power off for seventeen hours. We’re better prepared this week in case the electricity goes out again. I hope you all are safe and know you are all in my prayers! Let us know what’s going on in your neck of the woods.