Not much more than a stiff breeze here, with a somewhat disappointing light show and very little thunder. Nary a twig in the yard. VERY wet, though. I think the storm line split and went north and south of us, but we did get another good soaking (after rain for the previous 24 hours). I think we've had nearly 4 inches of rain in the past three days. It'll be a week before the yard's firm enough to move the tractor again. Got a good friend that lives down near Clanton, and he sent me some rather frightening video of cloud rotation from the first wave yesterday. Not nice to see a super cell build like that. As much as I don't like tornadoes, though, they're much less frightening than earthquakes. You've at least got a little warning that it's about to happen, and usually know for days in advance to expect it and prepare for it at much as possible. You know an earthquake's gonna happen right after it already has. I rode that ride in Barstow, CA a couple times, what they called a little temblor. You can HAVE that stuff.
The youngest granddaughter missed the bus this morning, so I had to take all the 'gift wrapping' (moving blankets and tarps) off the Traverse to take her to school. My F-150 was still playing blivit (10 lbs of stuff in a 5 pound bag) hiding under the back deck (12 x 16) from hail that didn't even think about happening. Ya simply don't realize how wide an F-150 is until ya park it in a 10 foot wide space and there's barely room to get out of the truck. I don't even have the big mirrors, nor am I a very big person at 180 lbs. Ya also find out just how long a SuperCrew with a 6.5' bed is when you have the nose sticking out a little on one end, and nearly 6 feet of it's still sticking out in back, under a 16 foot long deck. Wiggling in there was fun in the dark, but getting back out wasn't quite as bad as expected. Just stayed in 4x4 Low Range to creep across the very soggy yard and not tear it up. A few minor ruts that I can fix easily (when it isn't mud any more). That's a big vehicle with not many places to hide. I think it might be smarter (and quicker) to get more moving blankets and tarps to cover it with when there's a hail threat. Ain't no way that heifer's going in my basement garage (even if it was empty). Won't fit through the doors.
SO, rather uneventful night after all the hype about the threat. I keep insisting that meteorologists take Lying 101 as one of their first freshman courses in college. That's a required course for politicians and lawyers, but may be an elective for meteorologists. A few low hanging fast moving clouds this morning with the sun peeping through, but the temp's as warm as it's gonna get today. Supposed to be windy and drop back down in the low 50's today, but start climbing right back up tomorrow to the 70's by Sunday. Lather, rinse, repeat. More rain on the way next Wednesday with possible storms on Thursday. Gotta love spring in Alabama. I've got a big batch of beer in secondary ferment and another recipe to brew and get ready for fermenting. So, at least I have something to do while everything's soggy.
Thanks to all for the well wishes and concern.
