Where The Wind Comes Sweeping Down The Plains

It was a typical night in the LPF household. DH and DS1 had run out to the store to get DS1's concert uniform for his first orchestra concert the next night. I was home with the 3 younger kids. DD2 is watching Dora The Explorer or A Pup Named Scooby Doo, DD1 and DS2 are picking up their rooms.

It's just about 7pm, and dinner is almost ready. DH and DS1 have stopped at the Walmart for socks and a couple groceries, but I expect them back any minute. DS2 and DD1 are setting up for dinner. DD2 is fussing about having the wrong tray or some such nonsense, and the program she'd been watching has finished playback, and the satellite reverts to live tv. It's a weathercast, due to the severe thunderstorms raging overhead.

I pull the tray of homemade fries out of the fryer, and I'm just levering the last turkey burger out of the pan and onto the plate when I hear a noise. A noise I've rarely heard since moving to Oklahoma 3 years ago, and then only during Wednesday Noon Tests, but which I immediately recognize. I turn off the stove, head quickly to the back door and crack it. Yep, I was right.

Tornado sirens.

I leave dinner sitting on the counter, and tell the kids to get up and go into Mommy's closet. Oh, DS2 - please put the leashes on the dogs and bring them down to the closet too. I crack the back door again - "Here kitty kitty kitty. Here kitty." Darn, I don't have time to wait for them to come, and I don't hear the jingles of their collars. I know, I know DD2, you are hungry, but right now we need to go in Mommy's room, okay? I get the kids in my closet and grab the comforter off my bed. Hmmm... 4 people, 2 dogs, yeah - one's not going to be enough. I head into DS2's room, as his is closest to mine, to get his blanket. I pass Wyatt in the hall, and find Jesse on DS2's bed. I grab the blanket and the cats and put them in my room. With the way Daisy has been chasing the cats I'm not going to force them in closet, but I shut my bedroom door.

Ooops, Satellite is out from the rain. OK, plan B. I make one more trip to the living room, a quick call for Calamity out the door (no response, oh and the neighbors probably think I'm nuts taking time to call the cat with the sirens going) and grab my laptop.

DH calls. He and DS1 were about to check out when the sirens went off. They and everyone else in the store has been shepherded to the back of the store away from the big glass windows for safety. He'll be late coming home, and we should shelter. I tell him I've already got the kids and the dogs in the closet and I'm heading there with my laptop.

We plug in my laptop and run the cord into the closet. Thank heavens Mommy's closet is a walk in. Four people and two dogs in a very small space gets quite warm, but at least there is enough room for everyone without sitting on each other. I spend the next several minutes trying to find an online source that will give me the same updates on the "rotation" and where it is that I would get if my satellite didn't go out. I don't have any luck unfortunately, but the tv goes in and out, and I am able to hear occasional updates through the door.

DD2 gets scared. She doesn't understand what is going on. "Can the storm get in if we close the door?" I don't have the heart to tell her a strong tornado can rip the roof off, so I just tell her we'll be safe in here. At one point, she hides in the corner behind my wedding dress. The rest of the time is spent cuddled up to me.

After a while, DH calls again. They've let the customers leave the back of the store, and he's going to check out and come home. We can come out of the closet now.

DS2 - please crate the dogs for dinner. DDs - go sit in the living room please. I move my laptop back out to the living room and get back to getting dinner ready. Not 3 minutes later - what's that sound? Oh MAN!

Okay kids - back in the closet. I take a few seconds to toss the dinner plates in the stove and microwave, since I still don't know where Calamity is, grab my laptop, again, and head back to the closet.

A few minutes later, DH calls again. Wherever he is (I later find out he was outside by the car) is very noisy, and I don't have great reception in the house, especially that far away from the repeater. He's something store, something something closet, he's on his way.

I hear an update on the tv - the rotation/tornado just east of us. Since most storms seem to head northeast, the danger from this rotation has likely passed. Well, at this point, with DH on the way home, I'm just going to sit in the closet until he gets here and decides if the tornado has passed. He gets home, tells us it's safe to get out of the closet.

DH - "Oh, and why are you in the closet, you know that's an outside wall there and this is not the safest room. Next time either the bathrooms or DS2's closet would be safer. No outside walls." me - "Okay, but the main bathroom has glass shower doors and an outside wall. Our bathroom was dirty and smaller than this closet and DS2's closet is very small." DH - "No, that's not an outside wall in the main bathroom, that's the wall in DDs closet. I know, that's where I get access to the back of the tub for plumbing."

Oh, well, next time I'll know. Back out to the living room, time to finally sit down and eat.

Did you know that turkey burgers and homemade french fries do NOT taste good when they are cold? At least DH and DS1 remembered the salad dressing.