Just Another Spring Evening in Oklahoma

Just three short hours ago, the Oklahoma evening sky before sunset had the most gorgeous , unusual clouds. (Heather Cherry will have some on her blog too.) These are the blue/pink/ turquoise clouds that came floating by my house around 7:30 tonight.

Well what a difference 3 hours can make! In the South we have a common saying- it is common to US anyhay. When it's gettin' somewhat stormy outside, we say " Hey y'all, I b'lieve it's comin' up a cloud." In the grand state of Oklahoma, it can definitely come up a cloud right quick. Just now, the TV is on the news. 'Scuze me, time to chase a lil' rabbit for just a sec. Ya'll need to know right now that we have the best weather guys in the nation, bar none. Besides having the National Weather Service right down the road, all theses guys are stud storm chasers. Every one of 'em wears Jack Bauer pajamas, as far as I'm concerned, ya hear me? No fear, know what I'm sayin'? They can tell you street by street the exact path of a storm. They save so many lives every year.

Right now this very second, there are tornado warnings out for all of Oklahoma City and the surrounding counties. The sirens are going off, which sends Deuce into orbit. The rain is flying by sideways outside our newly replaced windows. (Goodness, they look FABULOUS...Wish it would hit just a bit harder, then I might not have to do the windows this week. Wup, who am I kidding? I don't DO windows. Where was I?) Oh yeah- sirens blaring, weenie dog howling of course (he IS from the HOUND group), lightning and thundering rattlin' everything, and the TV is on the news. (In the South, we don't say what is on the TV- we say what the TV is on. It's not that we are stupid, we just have a BETTER way of saying things. Sorta like the way we use contractions an awful lot. That way we're able to say a whole more'n a shorter time spot. It's just better, that's all. )

The weather guy's adamantly saying to the home audience the following life-saving advice: "Find your safe spot!" "Get into an inside closet or bathroom!" "Move away from your windows!" (I did, after I finished lookin' at the sideways rain) "We have hail the size of ping-pong balls, could increase to baseball-size in a matter of minutes." "Get out of all mobile homes and get to a sturdy shelter!" "We have reports of power outages, 5,00 people now without power!" (Not us...yet) "We have reports of a tornado on the ground, repeat it is ON THE GROUND! TAKE SHELTER NOW!" "It is now dissipating, winds are decreasing, and the tornado warning has expired." Whew! Typical spring evening in O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A, Okla-HOOOOOOOO-Ma!

The rain has ceased, said weenie hound has stopped his yodeling and has waddled back to chewing on his little cow hoof, yes that's what I said- cow hoof. (Doesn't do a thing for his breath, but he loves 'em!) and all I hear is the rumbling of the distant thunder and the raging storm that has once again passed us on by. And the best thing of it all? That fresh smell of rain that lingers in the air....I LOVE that wonderful scent! That is a smell from childhood, when I would play in the rain when my folks were at work. (Sorry Momma. Now you know. And you just thought I had a hankering to do some laundry on rainy days, huh?)

Some folks wouldn't live here for love nor money. Some folks are just flat-out scared of our neck of the woods. I met the love of my life here, he was born not to far from where we love now. We live smack dab in the middle of what they call "Tornado Alley". I call it the next best thing to Heaven and Dixie. Dear God, I Love Oklahoma! Dang it!....looks like I have some windows to do after all......now how about that?!