August 26 – “That’s my boy …”

We woke up yesterday to some pretty loud claps of thunder.  Oh, and Chris heard the inevitable crash of the dog gate smashing to the floor.  Heidi just can’t stand it when the thunder comes and the weather is unsettled.  That also means she gets disoriented and enters her mode of not being able to find her way out the dog door to take care of basic functions.  I checked.  Yep.  I just closed the door.  I wasn’t quite prepared for that cleanup on an empty stomach.  But Chris beat me to it, bless her heart.  She has a nurse nose.  I have never understood it, but she can somehow turn off her nose and operate in the realm of no smell.  Anyway … it promises to be a long few days for Heidi.

I got a text pretty early in the morning.  It was from the infamous Mr. Bob at church.  He said, “God loves you and I do too.  Be safe.”  Awesome way to start the day. 

Chris attacked her project and disappeared into the blue and yellow bedrooms.  I spent the day trying to keep up with Seaside people who stayed in their homes in the West End.  I got text all day from different ones who were checking in, as well as from others to let me know they had evacuated and where they went.  Great to have my mind put at ease about those folks. 

After the first strong rain band I had to go outside and clear a path for the water in the back yard to drain better.  Not excited about a puddle in the house, so anything to prevent that.  Nothing like a little light landscaping in the rain.  Great fun.  Then 40 Steps started leaking into our driveway.  A beautiful stream of light brown mud trickling past. 

Rain band number two was when the tornado warnings started blaring on our phones.  Chris came out and dragged me from my landscaping duties and said to get inside.  I obeyed.  You would have, too. 

We spent a good portion of the day making fun of the weather channel coverage of the storm.  That always becomes the local pastime when a big storm comes through.  This year it started when Jim Cantore arrived in town, never a good sign.  He left rather quickly, though when it became evident the bad stuff was going south of us.  Enjoy Jim, Corpus Christi. 

All day we kept hearing an unidentifiable banging sound.  We looked outside to see if someone was banging car doors.  Nope.  We checked all our trees.  Nope.  We checked the neighbor’s trees.  Nope.  I finally heard one trip I made outside to look at our sycamore tree bending in the breeze (not really something sycamore trees were made to do).  The sound was the front door of the 40 Steps being pushed open by the wind and slammed shut by the same wind.  And that sound continues …

Chris heard from Kel and Christina during one of the particularly intense rain bands/tornado watches.  They were at WalMart getting some coffee.  That’s my boy …

1 Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

Father, thank you for your protection thus far.  Please be with those in the direct line of fire down south.  They have a long road of recovery ahead.  Amen.