the entire county was under warning or watch [i can never remember which is worse but it was the bad one.] outside it was rainy, dark, windy, but only unusual because it was cold, whereas earlier in the day it was warm. which is perhaps what caused the severe weather?
i didn't worry. i was bored, in fact, because the local news kept reporting on how the President and First Lady were handling the severe weather.
and then i saw the panic in DH's eyes.
a wave of panic came across me, too. DH's family's home was hit by an F4 tornado when he was just a toddler. we are often reminded when Grandma habitually reaches for the antique china, and then remembers...it was blown away. and then there's the sadness brought on when anyone asks to see family photographs from anytime before April of 1979.
before i broke into tears, grabbed Baby Hall and huddled in the corner of the most interior room in our house, i started gathering.
of course i didn't want anything to be whipped away in a tornado. but which of our "things" are really irreplaceable? if a tornado did indeed strike, what would we need after the storm?images of a post-tsunami sri lanka and devastated new orleans sent me into a mild anxiety attack.
gathering for the storm kept me busy.
here is what i gathered:
the 5 nearest photo albums
jewelry
all sets of keys
all phones
batteries
flashlights
nonperishable food
bottles of water
the camera with card and batteries
blankets
shoes (mine, his and baby's)
jackets
diapers and wipes
DH's wallet
my purse and dayplanner.
by the time the vacuum cleaners were moved and the closet was re-stocked with our precious belongings, the rain had stopped, my nerves had calmed, and the local news returned us to the regularly scheduled programs. the storm was over.
