Saturday, January 02, 2010

Thunderstorms

I've always been fascinated with the ferociousness of the weather. I was just sitting here watching the snow falling, which in itself is peaceful and suddenly thought back at how much I love a good summer thunderstorm with lightning flashing, the boom of thunder crashing and the rain blowing sideways. The closer and stronger the storm the better I like it.

While living out in the country, amid all the tall oak trees, I just couldn't help but go outside and take a walk during a good summer thunderstorm. I was never able to convince my better half to join me, so my trips were always by myself, but I got to love them that way...just me and my dog but eventually the dog had enough and would head back to shelter. The winds would blow so hard that the tall trees would sway and the pines and dogwoods would whip around and almost touch the ground while the rain would sting my face as it pelted me with great big raindrops, and occasionally with hail. The sight of lightning bolts and the loud crack of the thunder as it grew nearer and nearer always gave me the sensations of how it might have felt, long ago, before man knew how to build strong wood and stone shelters and eventually shelters underground to protect them against the stronger tornado.

I don't fully understand my fascination with extreme weather phenomena, I just know that I like it and love to be a part of it. I could dance and make love in the rain, that's how much I love it. And no I never took an umbrella with me, that just wouldn't be the same. I might as well stay on the porch and watch the storm from there if I had to take an umbrella. I think extreme weather is one of nature's beauties and it's used to cleanse the earth and make it new again. I've never known anyone that I could share my love of storms with, but maybe it's meant to be shared with no one. People tend to look at you funny when you say that you love violent storms, so it's always been something that I've kept to myself.

Laughter in the rain / Neil Sedaka

3 comments:

tomlaureld@yahoo.com said...

Good Morning
I have been outside at the old dam where lighting struck a pole where I had been standing a minute before. That is not a good feeling. but I do love the cleansing of the earth.

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...

I was standing about 20 yards from a telephone pole and lightning struck it and set it on fire. It was neat to watch the force of lightning in action. I was at work standing in the bay doors watching a thunderstorm and all of the lights went out...the pole was ours.
Another time I was standing in our upstairs hallway on Estill street when lightning struck our window fan and fused it to the electrical outlet. Another fascinating BOOM.

Lightning in the woods was different and never came close to me only striking at things on high ground. I stood under some tall oak trees but they were never struck. Perhaps I was wise not to carry an umbrella with metal wires to attract lightning my way.

tomlaureld@yahoo.com said...

Goo.d Morning
I remember when we first arrived here in Marion our old house we rented had those screw in fuses and lightning struck that box and fused all the fuses (melted). We had to get 220 into our home and a new breaker box.
A couple of years ago we were dining with Allison, Jason and the girls at a Mexican restaurant in Murray when lightning struck the pole outside the building while we were standing under the eve of the building while waiting for Jason to bring his van around, spooky for us and the girls.