Weird Day

The high temperature today was:  72 degrees

Humidity: 55%

Rain/Severe thunderstorms/Tornadoes

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Awake again at 6:30--what is going on here?  Felt very rested so, I got up.

I heard that we might get hail today so I went out and lugged my big planters (geraniums) up close to the porch steps.  I wanted to bring them up on the covered porch, but I could not lift them!!

Thunderstorms rolled through around 9:30--loud thunder, so to stop that nonsense, I put in my ear plugs and cleaned the bedroom.  When I was finished, so was the thunder.

At 3:00, a weather bulletin came on TV, so I sat down to watch.  Tuned in the Detroit channel and they had their radar up and zoom in on the storm that was carrying the rotation.   I came in and brought up The Weather Channel map that I have on my computer to pinpoint how the storm was going to progress.  It was about 15 miles south of us--traveling on an easterly path, so I had no reason to get panicked.

All of a sudden, the dang siren down the road went off.  I looked out my windows and cars were speeding by and out of this park.  Now--what is so weird is that usually I AM the first car out of this place and heading for the little hospital to seek shelter, but, I knew where the storm was, so I didn't even think about leaving.  

Within seconds, my phone rang.  "WHY AREN'T YOU LEAVING?  THERE'S A TORNADO COMING!!"

"Dar!  DAR CALM DOWN!! There is no tornado on the ground--there is rotation in the storm and it is nearly twenty miles south of us!!"

"OH MY GOD!  JACKIE CALLED.  SHE HEARD THE SIREN SO SHE TOOK OFF UP TO WOODLAND!" (the little hospital)  YOU ALWAYS RUN--I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ARE STILL HOME.  I WAS GOING TO RIDE WITH YOU!"

"Dar...from now on--if you don't see me leave--don't panic.  Okay?  It is way south of us and it won't come anywhere near us.  The stupid siren goes off if there is a tornado warning for ANYWHERE in this country!  Turn on channel 4 and watch."

"OKAY!"

Pretty soon the phone rings again.  Pearl says, "Where is everyone going?"  I told her and she said her usual, "Well, there has never been a tornado hit this park.  We aren't ever going to be in a tornadoes path."

and I did my usual, "A tornado can hit anywhere and if it has never hit here, then the odds are against us for a first time.  Everyone left to go up to Woodland, but the tornado is way down by the country line."

I no more than hung up and Dar called again.  This time she was calmer and was laughing.  "Jackie just called.  They have over two hundred people up in the lobby at Woodland and...she wants to come back home and security won't let anyone leave the building!"

I did call Maddie as the rotational storm was going to pass right over their house and I wanted to make sure she knew and was in the basement.  She was safe and not a bit afraid.

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I sat and watched the weather radar all afternoon on the news channel--then at 5:30 the siren goes off again.  Severe thunderstorm with torrential rain, high winds and quarter sized hail just west of Howell heading toward Brighton.  I ran into the computer room and brought up my pinpoint weather map again.  It looked like the storm was going to go a bit north of where I live.  The weather guy on TV said it was traveling down I-96 and Grand River.  I lived 1/4 mile north of I-96 and about a block south of Grand River.  Hm-mm.

Thankfully, the near the storm got to Howell, the more it fell apart and I only got rain--heavy rain, but none the less no wind or hail.

Tomorrow afternoon, we are going to get this same weather, as the cold front moves in and meets up with our saturated, humid air.  OH--I can hardly wait!!!

Then--we are going to get night time lows in the 30's.  So--there has got to be a way I can get those two big planters up on the porch so I can cover them, the tiered planter and my planters on the porch railings. Covered up each night the rest of this week.  SHOOT!!

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Other than all that excitement--I got an e-mail from the boy who is taking Madeleine to Prom and he is so excited!!!  I saw a picture of Maddie's dress.  It is gorgeous!  Demure and elegant.  A long skirt, lace top that covers her shoulders--in blush pink.  

I saw a picture of a friend's grand daughters dress and the dress looked like something a saloon girl from the old west would wear.  The bodice was like a bustier--you could see the stays and her skin through it.  Not appropriate to my way of thinking.

Maddie gave me a few of her Senior Photos.  One I didn't get, but may go back and get, she is standing in the middle of Main Street in Brighton in her ballet tutu and toe shoes doing a pirouette!  In the middle of town!!!  I guess that studio does a lot of those kinds of shots.  Lots of comments from passing cars I would think?  This is the photo I got to put in a 5x7 frame.  The other two are for my wallet.