I've said many times that I'll take our midwest thunderstorms and tornados over an earthquake any day. I stick by my guns. The recent 4.something earthquake with an epicenter about 9 miles from here creeped me out and made me feel very unsafe. An earthquake can effect everyone in a hundred mile radius. A tornado usually cuts a path a few thousand yards wide and a mile or two long.
It's just my preference but I do understand that it's what you grow up with I guess.
Anyway, we get some tremendous thunderstorms around here, some serious gullywashers. But thunderstorms, although they can be dangerous, are mostly annoying.
Take Friday night for example.
This was the scene out our front door, looking southwest.
Yeah, that dark but not particularly frightening. Now, if the sky had a green tinge, that would be a whole 'nother ballgame.
This is looking southeast towards one of the neighbors houses at about 6 p.m.
What followed was unprecented in my memory. Usually a thunderstorm rolls in, flexes it muscles, makes a lot of noise, drops a lot of rain and moves on to bully the counties to the east. On Friday night it was a veritable thunderstorm disco party. Wave after wave of thunderstorms moved in, one right behind the other.
There was no sleep to be had and I'm feeling the effects today. The electricity went out many, many times. Our smoke detectors are hard wired and each time the power goes out they make a single high-pitched beep. Thankfully we installed a natural gas powered automatic generator that cuts on 10 seconds after the power goes out. Believe me, you don't want to be in northern Illinois in the wintertime and have the power fail. The temperature in the house plummets like a rock.
First thing Saturday morning the Farmer got his tools together and started building an ark. We got 7 INCHES of rain overnight. Farm fields and roads are flooded. In one spot the water was gushing off the field and over the highway, creating a small waterfall on the other side.
Water is a powerful force and I have learned that water will always have it's way regardless of what the Army Corps of Engineers might think.
Hold on, the Farmer is yelling something from the garage.
"I need you to hold the end of this ruler. Hey - what's a cubit?"
Heck if I know.
OK, I gotta run. I'm being called to do some really imporant Biblical research.
"I'll be there in a minute, honey. I'm grabbing my Bible."
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Research tells me that a cubit is a unit of measurement equal to about 18 inches.
15 comments:
Hey! New to blogging, and was checking out random blogs. I saw yours, and liked it cause I'm a midwesterner, too (Missouri)! We've had a lot of storms here lately. In fact, I stayed in today because of the torrential downpour we had. Beautiful to see...but it didn't help when I needed to get groceries in the middle of the pour! Anyway, I hope to be reading more from you soon! Nice to meet you!
Jewels
Hey! New to blogging, and was checking out random blogs. I saw yours, and liked it cause I'm a midwesterner, too (Missouri)! We've had a lot of storms here lately. In fact, I stayed in today because of the torrential downpour we had. Beautiful to see...but it didn't help when I needed to get groceries in the middle of the pour! Anyway, I hope to be reading more from you soon! Nice to meet you!
Jewels
7 inches, oh my! Sending good thoughts! I hope your farmer is a better builder than my farmer. My farmer is very good at repairs on machinery, not so much building or appliances.
I hear there is a lot of ark building up there. We have our arks finished in the west central part of the state. We have been getting those sorts of storms since April. Usually by this time of the summer we are watering the garden, filling the horse tank every few days because the creek has dried up and mowing a lot less frequently. Not so this year. I have yet to water anything, the creek is perpetually full and the grass is growing faster than we can keep it mowed. From Saturday to Monday of last week we got about a foot of rain. Its been terrible. I'm sorry you are now experiencing some of our pain! I hope it is short lived.
Dear heavens! I heard about these storms, but never considered that you'd be in the middle of them. Course in Blogland, one can pretty much assume that whatever storm one hears of, one of our pals is in it. We've had a rough hour or two this summer, but nothing like that. All the best with the ark! (But, no, really, what are you building?)
Jewels - welcome! I'm glad you landed on my little corner of the blogsphere. Sit on the porch and stay for awhile.
Betsey - No, actually, he isn't.
Ang - Yes, it's bad all over the northern part of the state. I heard that a dam failed in Iowa yesterday. That will be a major catastrophe.
Vee - That is very true. And in truth, we aren't building anything at the moment - HA! I took some of that poetic license you encouraged me to use. The Farmer is not allowed around power tools. If anything needs building my son and I do it. We built a fireplace surround to house an electric fireplace. I think it turned out really good and we did it without a pattern.
Have a grea day everyone and stay safe in your little corner of the world.
Hey, Suzanne!
Elora here in dry 'n hot West Virginia...I'll split the 7 inches with you? We were threatened but the wet never materialized. I guess that's OK. Fitting all those two-somes into the ark would have been challenging. We could still use some water, here, though!!
Living in Florida now and believe me earthquakes as scary as they can be are nothing compared to tornadoes! I am petrified of them and lighting as I live in the lighting capital of the world.
I once upon a time was going to move to Yelapa. Now I have decided to retire to a smallish fishing village not far from PV.
Loved the pics of Yelapa very fond memories of traveling through Mexico. Hope you stay dry!
Susie
I think I've been told that a cubit was the distance from a man's elbow to the tip of his middle finger, but I could be remembering wrong. They weren't too precise in their measurements back in the day.
We got some storms last night, but nowhere near that much rain.
You were right! That skyline was Nashville. Don't ya just love being right?;o)
We've had a lot of rain here in south Louisiana but not nearly like yours! I'm certainly glad Bonnie fell apart before getting here though. blessings, marlene
Ha! That poetic license thing. John now tells me that he has no idea what I was talking about in the story about him. He definitely did not "lose his footing." Hmmm, interesting. I could've sworn that's exactly what he said. How else could such a thing have happened?
Hi! In the Notheast we've been experiencing steaming humidity and heat with often threatened but rarely materializing thunderstorms. The grass even in the nice lawns is burnt to a crisp and anyone who mows gets more dust than grass! We could use some of those 7 inches. Considering moving into the basement to cool off. Do you have a storm cellar or basement in your house? The thought of tornados scare the heck out of me, I just would like to picture you and the farmer safe and sound just in case?! Here we sometimes get hurricanes but mostly winter Nor'easters and in our little Pioneer Valley rain, sleet, freezing rain, ice, snow slurry, slippery messes! Makes me glad I'm steamy hot right now. HA!
Peace, Donna
P.S. Ready to go to Cape Cod?
Have you ever listened to the Bill Cosby version of the conversation between God and Noah concerning the Ark? Find it and laugh til you cry!
Mother Nature has her mood swings too.
You know my reply to this situation -- I will happily take earthquakes any day. The very thought of tornadoes makes my heart quiver. Earthquakes are just a part of life here, and you're right -- we get used to what we've grown up with and we all seem to prefer to hang on to the calamities that we know best.
Good luck with that ark. Can't wait to hear the tales about collecting the animals.
Oh my those clouds look scary yet beautiful at the same time! I wish I could say that we have been getting some rain but all we seem to be getting is 100 + degree temps. Hope everything is going well.
Kelli
xoxo
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