Storm Season has Returned

Spring here in TN brings storms. Much warm-meets-cool-air type storms. We all know those also provide us with tornadoes.

This is nothing new to us, last year we even left the house several times during these nasty events.

What's new to us, is that we put our television service on hold early this year. We usually do this in may or june, because with all the outside time and traveling, no one watches it for a few months. ( and it saves us some money too!)

Without TV, these storms have been sneaking up on us. I check the radar online, husband does on his phone, but we sometimes miss the chatter that makes us look.

One snuck up on us last night. I had been antsy all day and could not figure out why. I turned on the radio in an attempt to calm my nerves and heard our area was under tornado watches until 10pm, and part of the storm was heading straight for us. just in time to pick the kids up from school.

I picked up the kids in a heavy wind, but oddly, not much rain at all.

now hearing reprots of pea size hail breaking car windows an hour away. (small, yes, but the wind was pushing this sucker along at up to 80mph!)

We keep the routine at home, kids doing homework and chores, I start dinner.. Husband comes home and want to bring us up the hill to the garage. Hmm.

Ok, why not. Up we go, and surprise, he may have acquired a new toy. (totally different tale) While they are all ogling daddy's new toy, I look up. The sky is becoming unusually dark, and fast. I tell husband I am going back to the house, finish dinner and check the radio.

As I walk to the house (50 yds or so downhill) it gets darker and darker, and my nerves are jumping like crazy. I call up to husband to send the kids in.
They start walking down, and just as the get to the house, the siren starts.

Want to talk about insta-adrenaline?

We all go downstairs, and son is absolutly panicked. Its the siren, along with being a long, tiring day.He doesn't like storms at all to start with, but the siren sends him over the edge every time.

This time was new. He actually got so scared he bgan to gag. " I'm gonna be sick mama!"
ugh
He wasn't actually sick, but the gagging was awful for all of us.

Each time we'd get him calmed down, that siren would sound again, and freak him out again.

I won't knock the siren- we are actually lucky enough to live where we can hear it, and they don't sound it unless theres a report of rotation. It was a busy evening.

We stayed downstairs for about 2 hours, trying to calm son, ate dinner, and waiting. the rain and wind was horrendously hard, and the noise was unreal..

When they announced the watch until 10 pm again, so kept telling me we couldn't go to bed.
oh yes, we can, and will.

The worst of it passed, several touchdowns reported around the area. the rain even stopped, and the wind died down to a strong breeze.
I was sure the child would try to stay awake until 10pm- but he was truly exhausted.

Hopefully his panic won't become a habit, and even he said he felt a lil silly once it was visually over.

A bigger hope that our storm season won't be as hard as our winter was this year !