Weather Alert System!
i realize now that throughout my childhood and into my adult(still don't feel right using that word) life, weather, particularly storms, have influenced my perception of nature and the impermanence of existence. in California (4-8yo) we lived in the mountains outside of Lake Tahoe, the winter snowfall was deep and plentiful every year. one summer, it snowed in July. with drops of perhaps 3'-4' several times a winter; learning to play in the snow was a 'must know' for any kid. whomever invented those water-proof snowpants deserves an award. my sister and i would pile, scoop, throw, pack, dig, construct, and flop-upon snow with great abandon. in the delicate springs, i discovered i was allergic to dogwood trees when i kept trying to climb them (being the only climbable, non-great pine in the yard).
in Tennessee (8-12yo), we had the all sorts of weather. one winter was marked with a ferocious ice storm that took out power for days, and covered the world in several inches of ice. we couldn't reach my best friend on the phone, so my dad and i got into his truck and drove over there. they lived outside of town, in a heavily wooded region, and there were ice-covered branches all over the road from the soft-wood trees of the South--unaccustomed to the weight of any ice, much less 2"-3". i remember my hands burning from pulling branch after branch from the path of my dad's truck. we eventually had to go home for the chainsaw and discovered that they had gone to town and stayed with her grandma for the night. her family came to stay with ours because we had a propane heater. our neighbors came as well, i think we had a dozen people in our living room for a couple of nights until the power came back on.
TN was also the placed we lived when my family was hit by a tornado. that is a rather long story, but the houses surrounding ours were mostly destroyed and we had no power or water for two-weeks. the red cross fed us, and 'rubberneckers' drove through our neighborhood to gawk at the devastation. everyone was safe, though.
Oklahoma (12-16yo) is also called Tornado Alley. spring storm season, green skies, and swirling purple clouds were an expected transitional catalysis from winter to summer. the King of All Weather: Gary England (total legend: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_England ) protected you with his benevolence and grace. and where we lived out in the countryside (land abutting cow and horse pasture, 5 miles from town), we could look out over the lands as the weather swept through; magnificent! my love affair with the wind began there.
Japan (24-25yo) is a very seasonal nation. i delighted in the school principal when he would share with me that such-and-such flower had blooomed, which meant that fall was arriving.
i also had to leave the country one day early because there was a typhoon coming in, and they were worried i would be stranded. and also the Earthquakes! it feels like a part of your fundamental confidence in reality is shaken when the Earth herself becomes unstable beneath you.
Kansas (16-26yo, -1 for jpn). words will never be able to describe the majesty and wonder that is Weather and the Sky in Kansas. it is transcendent, and your heart will find it's home there. truely, the land of Ahhh's. :)
throughout most of this (not japan or after moving out of my parents') there was the WEATHER ALERT SYSTEM. it is a box with a speaker, three buttons, a volume knob, and an antenna. you turn it on and it is set to the national weather services's emergency alert radio station. you can set it for alarm, and it will wail at you and then tell you the weather watches and warnings for your area in a computer voice.
my dad brought me our old family one when he and trina came to visit. he's so worried about me living off by myself and he knows i don't watch tv (so would miss warnings). so now i have a wailing machine in my kitchen so that i can safely grab the cats and run down the stairs when a tornado comes crashing through Chicago. awww, i love my dad, and i am grateful that i have had so many unique and diverse experiences in my life. blessed be!
in Tennessee (8-12yo), we had the all sorts of weather. one winter was marked with a ferocious ice storm that took out power for days, and covered the world in several inches of ice. we couldn't reach my best friend on the phone, so my dad and i got into his truck and drove over there. they lived outside of town, in a heavily wooded region, and there were ice-covered branches all over the road from the soft-wood trees of the South--unaccustomed to the weight of any ice, much less 2"-3". i remember my hands burning from pulling branch after branch from the path of my dad's truck. we eventually had to go home for the chainsaw and discovered that they had gone to town and stayed with her grandma for the night. her family came to stay with ours because we had a propane heater. our neighbors came as well, i think we had a dozen people in our living room for a couple of nights until the power came back on.
TN was also the placed we lived when my family was hit by a tornado. that is a rather long story, but the houses surrounding ours were mostly destroyed and we had no power or water for two-weeks. the red cross fed us, and 'rubberneckers' drove through our neighborhood to gawk at the devastation. everyone was safe, though.
Oklahoma (12-16yo) is also called Tornado Alley. spring storm season, green skies, and swirling purple clouds were an expected transitional catalysis from winter to summer. the King of All Weather: Gary England (total legend: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_England ) protected you with his benevolence and grace. and where we lived out in the countryside (land abutting cow and horse pasture, 5 miles from town), we could look out over the lands as the weather swept through; magnificent! my love affair with the wind began there.
Japan (24-25yo) is a very seasonal nation. i delighted in the school principal when he would share with me that such-and-such flower had blooomed, which meant that fall was arriving.
i also had to leave the country one day early because there was a typhoon coming in, and they were worried i would be stranded. and also the Earthquakes! it feels like a part of your fundamental confidence in reality is shaken when the Earth herself becomes unstable beneath you.
Kansas (16-26yo, -1 for jpn). words will never be able to describe the majesty and wonder that is Weather and the Sky in Kansas. it is transcendent, and your heart will find it's home there. truely, the land of Ahhh's. :)
throughout most of this (not japan or after moving out of my parents') there was the WEATHER ALERT SYSTEM. it is a box with a speaker, three buttons, a volume knob, and an antenna. you turn it on and it is set to the national weather services's emergency alert radio station. you can set it for alarm, and it will wail at you and then tell you the weather watches and warnings for your area in a computer voice.
my dad brought me our old family one when he and trina came to visit. he's so worried about me living off by myself and he knows i don't watch tv (so would miss warnings). so now i have a wailing machine in my kitchen so that i can safely grab the cats and run down the stairs when a tornado comes crashing through Chicago. awww, i love my dad, and i am grateful that i have had so many unique and diverse experiences in my life. blessed be!