Author: jkundhi

When my parents were playing with M in the backyard, she found a bunch of pods by the fence. She gathered them up to give to mommy and daddy. How cute! My dad took this picture of a little pod in one of my silk flowers. Isn’t he talented? I love this photo!

I never cease to be awed by Spring weather in the Midwest. It’s amazing to me that one half of our state can be under winter storm warnings while the other half is under tornado warnings.

Yesterday was the first time the sirens went off for the season. There is a weird energy that comes with the sirens. It’s not excitement, but it’s not anxiety either. I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s very humbling to acknowledge the force and strength of Mother Nature.

There’s not much time to prepare for a tornado. You don’t get days to stock up on supplies or evacuate. Boarding up windows and stacking sandbags doesn’t help. We just put a few things in the tornado bag and head for the basement. My tornado bag has our cordless phone, my cell phone and charger, my laptop and charger, my wallet, knitting for me and books for M. After yesterday, I’ve decided M needs a tornado bag of her own. She definitely picked up on the stressful urgency of the weatherman telling people to take cover. I think she needs some special books and toys to distract her.

Having a child has definitely changed the way I react in these situations. I am much more calm on the outside, but a little more panicky on the inside. Luckily, storms that blow in fast usually leave just as quickly. Then the sun comes out and we head upstairs and get on with our day. And I always say a small thank you when we climb the stairs that they’re still there.