My little trooper

So today is the first day of the season we've had a major storm threat.


Now, back in Ontario, if you get a tornado watch or warning, its pretty serious. It generally means that there will be a very, very, very bad storm. Growing up we usually had electrical (lightening) storms. We'd lose power for a couple of days and not have running water, you know the basic camping situation.


I hate, wait no I despise camping.


Here in Kansas, we get these types of storms on a regular basis in the spring months. Each Monday at noon if the weather is sunny, they test the tornado alarms. These alarms are exactly the same ones as used in the air raids in WWII. I swear some days I want to yell, the Nazis are coming but stop before I embrass myself.



I remember my first experience with the Monday at noon testing. I thought the world was coming to an end. I was blowing drying my hair in our bathroom when they started up. I didn't know if I should duck and cover or call someone.


You have to keep in mind all the nuclear silos containing Cold War era missiles where stationed here in the Midwest. Also of note, until recently, there were still some buildings with bomb shelter signs on them.


Yes, welcome to Kansas.

Let's just say if its sunny on Monday around noon, you don't need to wear a watch because the sirens are going off. You also know you've lived in Kansas when you continue on with your daily business when you are in a tornado warning, the sirens are going off but you continue your grocery shopping anyways. Or better yet, you go see a movie and the attendants are handing out 'what to do in the case of a tornado' info cards as the sky grows dark with storm clouds and the downpouring of rain starts. Both have happened to me.


I guess you just grow used to it. Good, bad or apathetic, its just life in Kansas.


So as I mentioned, today is the first day of 2010 we've had a major threat of a tornado and or big bad hail. As I type this the lights are starting to flicker. S's company is shutting down early despite the tight deadlines so hopefully he will be home before it hits.


So why did I titled this 'My little trooper'? Because as soon as I mentioned to T this morning, that we might have a big storm, T said that we need to go to the basement. She keeps reminding me that there is a storm coming and we need to get to the basement. Then she goes to the window and looks out hoping to see the storm.


Yes, my kid knows more about storm safety at 3, than I knew at 30 when I moved here. The first hail storm we had here I thought someone was firing a sub machine gun at my windows. Now I don't blink an eye unless we have 4 ft of flood water at Central and Maple, baseball size hail nearby or have 5 tornado alarms in one day (yes, these have all happened).


Some advice worth heding regardless where you live, 'Turn around, don't drown' when you encounter flooding.


Loud cars freak out my kid but not the tornado alarms. There must be a medical term for this type of shock. She seems to inherently know that those alarms are there to help us, not scare or hurt us. Maybe its that we have hammered it into her head for the last two years that the sirens mean its time to head to the basement...not sure.


She has been a gem today while I packed up a 'just in case' bag and she packed up her little friends so that she can take them downstairs. She's all set. Either life with Mommy at home is tres boring and this is adding a little excitement or she's generally interested in what's going on. She had to have everybody's blanket, all her friends that would fit in her knapsack and be able to watch Nick Jr.


I took the opportunity to pack the hospital bag and T's overnight bag just in case the new arrival decides its time to arrive...5 weeks early. Did I mention storms seem to encourage babies to arrive early? Both my kids will be born during storm season. The nurse who taught our baby prep class before T enlightened us to that fact when we were preparing for T's birth.


That's just not what I want to be reminded of right now!

Oh, we just had our first tornado warning of the night..right on time. I'd better go get supper done before we have the sirens go off. We are stuck between two storms so anything is possible!

Stay tuned!