Close shave

This is truly a coincidence here.. Yesterday afternoon I watched that tribute to those chasers that was on Discovery some time back.. I clipped three bits, I could have just clipped it to upload the whole thing I was that impressed with it.. The show centered around the Moore Oklahoma tornado and everything therein..  this first clip is about these two kids taking shelter but keeping their cams going.. How smart was that??  Smart and somewhat foolish but smart still..  They could have been seriously hurt, but.. Great video they shot though..

 This is that Tim that died last week in those odd behaving storms..

This is one of the teachers and her heroics.. Regardless of her "losing it" during the storm.. Truth is I don't know how I would have reacted in her situation. I thought she was a hero, as were a lot of people that day..



Last night I got done with the usual things and shut the computer off and went up to watch a movie of some sort. Before the movie started I checked the weather, and there was a system coming up from the south but I thought it would just miss us.. Then I got the movie on.. I was going to watch a concert but decided on a movie instead and thankfully I did.. Our "hail magnet" has been up for the entire week, since Saturday, and I always watch the weather just in case.. The movie was playing or just starting and the weather radio down in the kitchen goes off.. I was pretty sure it wasn't for us because I had just looked at the weather.. but just to be certain I switched over and looked one more time.. Same thing was there, so I got the movie back going.. Then the fan turns on at about a little after seven.. My fan is on a light switch so when it gets dark enough it turns on.. I thought that was odd since the fans were coming on a little after eight.. I start getting into the movie but think that I hear someone coming up stairs.. So I come down to see what might be going on.. I went to the back door and the wind was blowing a little hard for my liking but.. Wasn't too upset..

Then I went outside and saw the gazebo buckling in the wind.. I guess it is blowing harder than I thought it was.. I then get hit by a nasty gust and reach up and grab the frame of the gazebo and hold on for deer life.. as the wind blew harder and harder I kept thinking just hold on a little while longer it's almost over.. And ten minutes turned into twenty. Holding that frame and hearing it crack and feeling like if I let go it could be in the next county before it comes down.. I could feel it just pulling.. I thought if I could get the center piece out that that could take some of the pressure off the frame, so I quickly went in and grabbed a stool and tried to reach it.. Turns out it is too short although I could swear I could reach it before.. I would have to get the ladder.. the wind in the meantime came back up and was really howling, pulling on the gazebo.. I then tried to get that center piece again this time climbing on the stool then trying to climb on the chair arms.. Big mistake. I lost my balance and grabbed the frame to try to not fall but that didn't help as the frame buckled under my fat ass heaverage.. as it were..  Then the idea to release  a corner of the tarp to try to ease the stress on the frame.. I got the one corner off.. Would this be a mistake??  I didn't have any idea if this would tear the thing up or help keep it from being torn up..

Then the wind seemed to let up just a bit.. Time to get the ladder.. Got it got back to the gazebo in time for the wind to pick up again.. Then as with before the wind let up and I set the ladder up climbed to the top, got the center piece out, took it over to the ground then undid the other three corners.. Got the tarp off then folded and put away.. The fear was over but  for a while there I thought what if I'm saving the gazebo just to have a tornado come through and tear up the house.. At least the gazebo was saved..   At least now I know I can take the gazebo down in a category one hurricane..

Badge Henry