We Survived But Close Again

Walter is happy this morning. He was a little bit late with his production but the caregiver next door warned us around 4:15pm that a tornado had hit AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Company in Mt Vernon about 16 miles away.

It looks like their typical work day has changed drastically after yesterday afternoon. 

I went outside on the patio and saw this to the north ... and sounds of loud thunder. It is never a good thing hearing thunder and seeing flashes of lightning when the skies are blue and sunny, like they were in the next photo.

I turned to the face the south and saw blue skies. That tornado would have been west of me which towards the berm. By this time I had no warnings from the weather accounts via texting or X. There was no warning siren to take cover and the hounds and dogs were enjoying their time outside after a day of off and on rain. 

With Walter in his storm tracker mode of heavy panting, I would have turned on the tv for updated weather but we had lost all power about an hour before. At this time there was nothing going on except a lot of birds talking. No rain and no heavy winds. Why? Where was that funnel cloud that had touched down 18 miles away and was headed our direction?

As usual it had turned and was headed NE and was about 10 miles NW of us. See that I-64 sign on the map? For some reason all storms, whether they be rain, tornadoes or snow ... follow the Ohio River that is south of us and I-64 which is north of us. What was strange here, right after this tv report he came back and said the storm path was heading due North ??

I have been here a month or two past 3 years. And this type of movement of severe storms is consistent, just like my old friend up the street told me it would be when I moved in. I guess I was worried Monday night trying to sleep and didn't have to be.

All of this rain was going to be good for the new grass seed but it is really poor quality. That area is growing very uneven and has more weeds than grass as you walk towards the front. I saw him open a brand new bag of Tall Fescue and put the seed in his spreader they day they filled this area up with seed and straw. There is nothing growing around that utility pole.

One thing that made me think the storms predicted might not be as severe as predicted, it was just normal rain early yesterday morning and the high winds were nowhere to be found. Still, when the hounds and dogs see this on the patio deck and hear the rain hitting the deck, they turn away from the open door and will not go out.

I give them the chance to relieve themselves in the garage but anymore they all can hold it until they can get outside ... yes, even Ava. She was more interested in the new bulldog sitting there than water or bones. I had brought the bulldog in off the porch the other night when the tornados were predicted. I didn't need that flying through my front windows. Better to be safe than sorry I guess.

Henry is never excited or stressed about any kind of storms. He also does not mind 94% humidity like yesterday. Is that because he was born on a ranch in Arizona, SE of Wilcox? He also refused to wakeup last night and spent the night sleeping on the couch.

It was strange and disappointing when I saw this yesterday. Her cone had never been off since the last photo of a DRY healed cut. Did she chew this with the cone on to prevent her from doing this exact thing?? If so, how? I was happy after I saw this photo that the four staples were still there because I could not see them until I took the photo.

This morning it looks a lot better and has dried out. 7 days until she goes to the vet to get the staples out and getting spayed.

So this morning the sun is out, the breeze is cool through my open windows and the birds are all chirping. Henry, Walter and Watson are sleeping soundly around my computer room desk chair while Ava is off chewing on all the bones she has collected. 

I will move things back to the front porch from the garage and the chairs and table back on the patio from the shed. The ground will be perfect for pulling weeds, a never ending battle this year and will do a run to the grocery store to restock the fridge.

It's a nice day this morning in "the tropics" of Southern Indiana.