Stormy

It has stormed at least three times today and there's more in store for overnight.

I don't even like rain, let alone storms.  I think it must have something to do with being traumatized by severe storms and tornadoes as a child.

In grade school, I can remember jumping in the car and racing to my grandparents house when the tornado sirens went off.  My grandparents had a basement, but they didn't exactly live a few blocks away.  It seemed to me that it would be just as safe (if not safer) to huddle in our bathroom or attached garage instead of trying to outrun a tornado in a station wagon, but I didn't dare question my parents' actions.

When I was almost eleven I went to Camp Virginia Anderson for two weeks.  During the second week of camp I was awakened in the middle of the night by one of my counselors yelling for me and my tent mates to put on our shoes and run as fast as we could to the craft hut.  It was pitch black and pouring down rain as we stumbled along the gravel road, trying to avoid the puddles and potholes.  When we finally reached the craft hut, we learned that a tornado had been spotted over the lake, headed towards the camp.  Pretty scary.

Even before my horrible storm experience last July, I think I had some valid reasons for strongly disliking and even fearing thunderstorms.  : /