Somehow with the drought last year, it didn’t dawn on me that we could also be in the midst of setting a good record. But we were until it came to an end yesterday. We had 359 consecutive days without a tornado warning in the state. It was hot and humid, and we were warned of storms coming.
I did my storm preparations of picking up feed pans and then I went out to pasture to tell the goats and llama they needed to come to the barn.
Millie
The bovine wanted to go back north, and I tried letting them, but I opened the gate too late. They’d changed their minds and were going to stay in the pasture. Now, if you think I can convince a 3000 pound steer to move when he doesn’t want to, it’s not going to happen.
MJ and Maxine
I jumped up and down behind him and hollered, “Get up, Hyiah!” He stood. I had a hand firmly on each rump roast pushing as hard as I could, and he didn’t notice me. I finally gave up and reminded them they could come to the barn. They drive me crazy when they stay in the pasture in stormy weather.
I sent my nephew a text saying it was time to quit farming for the day and then went into town to get my mother since she doesn’t have a basement. We got back to my house just as the first jagged streak of lightning hit. Mom went in, and I went to make sure some silly Cinnamon goat was getting her butt out of the pasture and into the barn. About that time the thunder came and everyone was scared inside.
By the time I got inside, I saw we were under a tornado warning. I looked out the wind0w again (yeah, I know that’s not what you’re supposed to do in a tornado warning, but still) and saw I had a goat outside. I headed for my boots and had just gotten them on when my mom told me the goat went in the barn. For some reason the geese just sit out there in the tornado warning. They could go in. Really.
Then they said a tornado had been spotted five miles south of State Center. Well, that’s just north of town. Then we got a text from my son asking if we had electricity and did I have any ice cream. I can’t make this stuff up. Of course his next text was that he’d driven through the funnel cloud (I believe he meant the rotating wall cloud that is associated with tornadoes and not the actual tornado). That would have been just about five miles south of State Center.
Well, our streak of no tornadoes has ended, but everyone in my world is safe. The cows survived. The geese are all here and everyone is fine.
We had more storms come through in the night and there are more chances again tonight. So how do you prepare for storms?
Linking to Homestead Barn Hop and Clever Chick’s Blog Hop
Teresa
