Will Got it Right

Will Rogers

The weather here has been downright crazy!  A famous Oklahoman named Will Rogers coined the phrase, "If you don't like the weather in Oklahoma, wait a minute and it will change."  He certainly got that right this week!

Tuesday morning started off bright, calm and sunny.  The girls and I were out and about in the morning, then came home for lunch.  Around 2:00 we were having a tea party in the girls' room when I noticed the sky looking a bit cloudy. Soon we heard thunder gently rumbling and I thought to myself, "What a perfect afternoon to be home."  About fifteen minutes later my peaceful mental state changed as the tornado sirens started blaring.  I jumped up and turned on the news in time to hear a local weatherman stating that my area of town needed to take shelter immediately.  I quickly put the girls in the bathtub (Center of the house, no windows-- I know my tornado precautions.  Gary England would be proud! Ha!), surrounded them with pillows and blankets, then ran back to the TV to check in.  We were still in the direct path of a potential tornado, so I took cover in the tub with the girls.  

Now, us Okies are used to tornadoes in the spring.  It's a fact of life.  People who have lived here a long time actually go outside and watch the storms rolling in, taking pictures casually, but knowing when to run for cover.  It's an exciting season that I think we secretly get an adrenaline rush from.  But a tornado in February?  This threw even the most seasoned storm watcher for a loop!  Tornados just don't happen in the winter! Right?  

Wrong.  Thankfully our house and neighborhood were spared any major damage.  The only thing we had was some serious quarter sized hail that filled our yard and danced like popping popcorn as it fell.  But businesses just south of us and entire neighborhoods north of us really got hit hard.  Roofs were blown off.  Walls fell down.  Entire homes devastated.  I truly feel for the people whose memories and hard work went down the drain in a heartbeat.  

Yes, I'd say good old Will Rogers got it right.  Just waiting a minute sometimes in Oklahoma can bring significant weather change.