Gracie: "I don't like your answer."
A decidedly untornadic tornado just blew -- or whimpered? -- through northwest Georgia this evening, bringing with it a little bit of anticipation and excitement. The wife urged us all to retreat into the back bathroom to cower -- under a mattress, no doubt -- in preparation of what she was confident would be the Storm of the Centurytm.
Instead, i swooped Gracie up into my arms and took her out on the porch with me to watch. Black and blue clouds, all swole up and shit, came barreling from north Alabama in waves that skirted and skirled north/south, east/west, and every direction in between.
"Why is it raaaaaiiiiiiining?" Gracie wondered.
"Because... it's raining."
"But," she persisted, "whyyyy?"
I knew this routine.
"Well, condensation of moisture in the upper atmosphere, waaaay up there, [pointing] gathers around little motes of dust and... poof, we have raindrops."
"Oh. Okay."
She held out her hand not tentatively, but rather adventurously, as if awaiting a high-five from the deities.
"Eeeeeeeee!"
Then, BOOM, thunder.
Hands over ears. Head buried in my shoulder.
"What was that?" she whispered.
"Gracie, you know what that is. Thunder."
"Whyyyyyy?"
"Because it's boomy boomy and shatter."
"But whyyyyyy?"
"Because molecules are rubbing together, and electrons are bouncing around, and when they find a connection, they zap HERE! and THERE! and EVERYWHERE! and it's SO fast SO fast SO SO FAST that it's actually faster than sound itself and creates a momentary burst of energy and that's thunder."
"Oh. Okay."
Instead, i swooped Gracie up into my arms and took her out on the porch with me to watch. Black and blue clouds, all swole up and shit, came barreling from north Alabama in waves that skirted and skirled north/south, east/west, and every direction in between.
"Why is it raaaaaiiiiiiining?" Gracie wondered.
"Because... it's raining."
"But," she persisted, "whyyyy?"
I knew this routine.
"Well, condensation of moisture in the upper atmosphere, waaaay up there, [pointing] gathers around little motes of dust and... poof, we have raindrops."
"Oh. Okay."
She held out her hand not tentatively, but rather adventurously, as if awaiting a high-five from the deities.
"Eeeeeeeee!"
Then, BOOM, thunder.
Hands over ears. Head buried in my shoulder.
"What was that?" she whispered.
"Gracie, you know what that is. Thunder."
"Whyyyyyy?"
"Because it's boomy boomy and shatter."
"But whyyyyyy?"
"Because molecules are rubbing together, and electrons are bouncing around, and when they find a connection, they zap HERE! and THERE! and EVERYWHERE! and it's SO fast SO fast SO SO FAST that it's actually faster than sound itself and creates a momentary burst of energy and that's thunder."
"Oh. Okay."