Awww, HAIL! Or What Happens When an Ordinary Evening Isn't

Wednesday night looked to be an ordinary evening at home.  But that all changed when my husband called to warn me that a tornado was headed right for our little farming community.  I immediately turned on the TV to monitor the weather.  Our tiny town was circled on the radar map and the weather woman announced that “it was coming right…,” and then the satellite cut out. 

I saw a funnel cloud about the same time that my two dogs got uncharacteristically upset about the sudden storm.  As the 1.5 inch hail started they both herded me into the middle of our home, where we even hunkered down with two cats!

The satellite signal didn’t return until the storm was over, but fortunately my husband and the two dogs had convinced me to seek shelter.  Seeing the funnel cloud had helped a bit, too!  When I could finally hear that it was safe to come out, I assessed the damage.

At first it just looked like typical wind damage:  some rearranged porch furniture, overturned trash, and hail on the deck.  I went outside to right the furniture and left my shoes inside so I wouldn’t get them wet and track water back into the house.  I walked barefoot across what I thought was hail and suddenly found myself screaming.  It was broken glass and now I was picking small pieces of it out of my feet.  Our storm door had shattered (love the irony) and I was amazed by how many tiny pieces were now embedded in the deck.

Since this door is the main one we use and the dogs would need to go out soon, I began to clean up the glass.  After a few minutes of sweeping I stretched my neck and suddenly saw donkeys in our driveway.  (We raise Miniature Donkeys so this was not as unusual as it sounds, but they were in the driveway and not in their pasture.)  Plus, I could see that the driveway gate had blown open.  So I tore off down the driveway hoping I could make it to the gate before the donkeys did.  I was successful, but pulled a muscle in my leg in the process.  Now hobbling, I opened another pasture gate and tried to shoe the donkeys in.  I had four of the thirteen loose donkeys going in and more were following.  But our lovely Miniature Horse who loves to cause commotion came charging down the hill, and she and the donkeys came running back out.  Now I had thirteen loose donkeys and one loose Miniature Horse.

Meanwhile my husband has arrived home after a hideous hail-filled commute from Nashville.  He pulls into the driveway and sees me chasing the donkeys and the mini-horse.  After an update, I advise him to be careful of all the glass on his way in the house.  He changes clothes and quickly rejoins me and we round up the herd in the rain and lightning.

This photo courtesy of Caryn Hjelmstad

After they’re all safe we head back to the house only to discover that the nervous pups have chewed through surround sound wires, upset a potted plant and tracked potting soil through the carpet, and peed in several locations.  To boot, we are two hours late in feeding them and they need to go outside through the area buried in glass.

At 9:30 p.m. we took a break and finally sat down to dinner.  (Thankfully I had dinner in the crockpot since I thought this was going to be a typical evening.)  Fortified by chicken and chardonnay, we shop-vacced the glass and cleaned the dog damage.  Not long after, we tumbled into bed, exhausted and shaken.

I’m grateful that our experience wasn’t worse and know that we were lucky.  We’ve been through several tornadoes and sustained damage in most of them during our years in Tennessee.  But for some reason this incident was scarier for me and resulted in a totally out of control sensation.  Feeling that vulnerable is quite humbling.

I’d love to hear about your own experience with tornadoes and how you coped, or didn’t.  Please feel free to leave a comment.  And thanks for reading my blog post!

Marianne Smith
Writer At The Ranch

Making You Look Brilliant One Word At a Time
wordsmith@writerattheranch.com
http://writerattheranch.com

Zudy Mae and the Art of Interruption

Synchronicity is running rampant in my life right now, so I was not surprised when we found the pup of our dreams on Tuesday, after looking for some time.  We were seeking a playmate for our fifteen month old Newfoundland (NEWFus).  And we ended up adopting a three month old Weimeraner pup who we named Zudy Mae (thanks to Debbie McDowell Oberdorf for the name suggestion).

Having gone through the whole puppy experience less than a year ago, I was prepared for the chaos and upheaval in our household.  But for some reason, this experience has been a little different.  There is plenty of chaos, mind you.  NEWFus runs Zudy Mae down constantly and sits on her like a Sumo wrestler. 

Not being the perfect pack leader, I have gone hoarse from yelling at him to get off of her.  (I’ve also pulled him off plenty of times, but he is the size of a small horse and twice as strong.  And yelling seems to be more therapeutic.)  There is a constant race around our kitchen island as the small pup tries to outrun the giant and find a low place from which to wage her return battle.  I’ve spilled my coffee, been knocked off my feet, and been hit in the head by the storm door while trying to get at least one of them outside.

But back to the point.  I’ve actually found all the interruptions helpful to my writing.  Ideas are flying in just as the pup broadsides me in the backyard while sailing through the air with a leaf in her mouth.  Watching her romp has reminded me of the need for play in my own life.  She’s a very serious little dog, but she knows how to cut loose.  I’m in serious mode also, trying to finish my first novel.  I could use more of that cutting loose stuff.

When I’ve been sitting too long doing tedious editing, Zudy Mae wakes up from her nap and I’m forced to get my butt out of the chair and go outside.  Once I get there, my mind relaxes and I see things in a different way.  My plots come together, my characters get more interesting, and my words dance more freely.  She’s also rebuilding my confidence, because if I can manage these two dogs all day while my husband is at work, I can do absolutely anything.

Zudy Mae is teaching me that interruptions are good, necessary even.  And maybe, just maybe, interruptions are what life is all about.  It certainly seems to be where some of the good stuff comes from.  As John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.”  I wish you many interruptions, and I’d love to hear how you feel about them…

Marianne Smith
Writer At The Ranch
Making You Look Brilliant One Word At A Time
http://www.writerattheranch.com/
wordsmith@writerattheranch.com