When I left the library...

The sky was dark, the wind was blowing and thunder was rumbling all around. I knew the rain was on the way. But, I had errands to run, so I decided to brave the storm. Not surprisingly, my first stop was Sonic. As I placed my order, the inevitable rain came, forcing me to speak up so the order-taker could hear me. Then, just as the credit card machine was telling me that my card had been approved, the power went out. I realized that I could no longer see the other side of the Sonic and that I was in for a bit of a wait. So, I rolled up my window--just as the back end of my van began to be pelted with dime/nickel-size hail. I waited and waited, wondering what to do. Finally after 20-30 minutes, I stepped out of my van to ask the manager if I could just have my money back. It tuned out that my Java Chiller was already ready but hadn't been delivered, because all work had completely ceased. Unfortunately, in all the chaos, the lid had not been put on tightly and I got a lap full of chocolaty whipped cream. By then, the rain seemed to be less intense and the hail had gone completely, so I decided to make a move. It was only when I pulled around the Sonic to exit that I noticed how bad things really were. There was a large branch laying in the way and what seemed like a whole tree sticking through the tin awning. This had all been going on just a few feet from where I was parked while the rain blocked my view. So very thankful I didn't park on that side! As I said, the rain seemed to be letting up, so I decided to run my other errands. Immediately I found that there weren't any working traffic lights. Soon after, I discovered that there were trees down all over the place, including across one lane of the road I was driving on. Firetrucks and police cars raced around in every direction, lights flashing and sirens blaring. I made my way oh-so-slowly up the debris-laden street, only to find when I arrived at my next destination that they are closed on Mondays. Unwilling to retrace my steps through the mess I'd just left behind, I chose a different route home. Just a few miles down the road, the sun was shining and just the merest sprinkles were falling from the sky. So, I made another quick stop. Back in the van, I found traffic for my back way home backed up for miles and a little fender bender being cleared off the road. And then the medical helicopter made a pass overhead. I finally made my way onto the back road and proceeded to drive five miles an hour for the next 5 miles or so. I continued to observe downed trees and to hear sirens in the distance. Finally, it became apparent what was causing everyone to drive so slowly. There were power lines stretched out all over a portion of the road, with no clear way around. I will tell you I held up traffic further while I debated whether to drive over them like everyone else. Finally, I just closed my eyes and went for it. There were more trees down and branches sitting on power lines, bowing them almost to the ground. When I finally arrived home, I was just so thankful to be alive. And Jeff was shocked to hear my tale of destruction. He said the electricity had only barely blinked off at our house (which isn't all that unusual) and that it had just rained for a short time. Later, we found out that lightening had stuck a house, setting it on fire, not far from the Sonic where I was camped out. Crazy, crazy times. And not exactly my idea of a peaceful afternoon out without the kids!