Bad Weather

That's my backyard during a series of particularly wicked storms that rolled through lower Michigan last week. And that's hail mixed in there with the rain.

We were under a tornado warning at the time but instead of taking refuge in the basement, I went from window to window, camera in hand, looking for funnel clouds to photograph. What I won't do for my blog.

I did figure that if trees started swaying and winds started roaring, then I would beat a hasty retreat downstairs. But it never happened, although less than 20 miles away in the town of Dexter an F3 tornado tore a half-mile wide path of destruction, starting with a newer subdivision at the edge of town.

Whoa, that's as close as I've ever been to a major tornado. There were no deaths nor major injuries reported, partly because every radio and TV station in the area saturated the airwaves with reports tracking the storms and funnel clouds. It's amazing how detailed weather radar has become in this day and age.

Our power did go out eventually and we were blacked out for five hours. That's not the time to discover that the batteries in your flashlight are dead. But that's what happened. The only light working was Wendy's reading light, the kind that attaches to your book. We used that to track down fresh batteries so we could revive at least one flashlight.

Thankfully, by that time the storms had passed and the all clear message had been given.

Now today, it's 80 degrees. Mind you, it's not spring yet, is it? That comes tomorrow. So this is 80 degrees and it's still officially winter. Unbelievable. We' had a remarkably warm winter. My brother, who lives 100 miles north of us in Bay City, said he did not use his snowblower once this winter.

Why the weird weather? Is it that Mayan calendar prediction that the end is near? Or is like this old science fiction movie I watched this week--The Day the Earth Caught Fire, where our planet was hurtling towards the sun?

I just hope we don't get cheated out of spring . . . again.