What I like best are the five or so minutes just before the storm. You know, when the lightning hasn’t caught up to the thunder just yet and you can smell the rain coming. I took this picture with my out-of-date cell phone and even so managed to catch a little unexpected majesty. Nothing like the great beyond working itself up into a tirade just over the subdivision rooftops of forty or so aging widow-women and their little snappy dogs.
I live in a “garden home” complete with a tall brick wall snaking its way all around us, keeping us protected from – I don’t know – maybe young people with sex drives and fast cars and bigger dogs. It’s not my fault. As I’ve mentioned before, I moved here in the early building stages and was blinded by 12″ moldings and shiny marble counter tops. You would have fallen, too. Admit it.
I‘m now among the youngest living here. My daughter and grandson who live with me are the other two. This is most obvious in the mornings when we seem to be the only people in the world leaving to go somewhere. It’s also obvious when, like tonight, a storm blows up and there’s no one but me standing in the middle of the street in my house shoes, trying to catch a tornado on a cellphone.
Make no mistake, the old gals are locked up tight clicking between the Weather Channel and Fox News.
Let’s hope they weren’t watching me, because when a good dose of lightning sprung out of the north I nearly lost both the cellphone and my ability to walk by falling up my own front steps. They’ve been a little wary of me since The Obama Conversation anyway. That’s okay. I know better than to shout “Medicare!” in a crowded garden home subdivision. I can handle these gals.
I’m going back out there. I don’t care if they’re watching or not.
No Telling 
I saw a pretty awesome thunder storm when I was in Vancouver at the end of July. The sky turned orange because it was occurring at dusk. Just had a pretty awesome thunderstorm here in NYC, the loud thunder…a pause…and then you hear buckets of hail coming down. Pretty cool audio.
Great picture, actually! You took that with your cell phone?
The best storms come at dusk, don't they JB? And hail? Well, that's just a bonus.
Heidi, not just with any cellphone, but with a two-year-old freebie from Alltel. Oh, it's a terrible phone. It missed most of the delicious cloud colors.
Contract is up in another month. I. Can't. Wait.
I live in Michigan, we get alot of storms this time of yr..this week alone we have had two major ones, I just stand in amazment everytime one blows through….great post:)
Storms scare me, I'm alwasy grabbing the kids and heading for the basement, but my husband is facinated by storms and loves the sound of the hard rain. He thinks it is magnificent how powerful nature can be. I think it's frightening…
That photo is beautiful. I want to sort of eat it.
Also: I am the only one in this country that has a cell phone with no camera. The end.
very good
I hope you have a good storm-watching porch, Steven, and a better camera than I do.
Susan, I remember my mother screaming like a witch at my dad as he stood outside with me in tow, watching two tornadoes tear up the town. She was one unhappy lady. I think we're either storm people or not. Hey, someone has to make sure the rest of us are safe.
Oh, Julia. You'll have to ask Santa for a new phone. No one needs a fancy one more than you do.
And thanks, Movies!
I live in Thailand and have the pleasure of very large storms. I too love the moments before the storm. Beautiful.
Mike
At the first time when i saw the picture, i thought that you google it. After read your post, i was very suprised.
Good picture, good entry. Beautiful blog
Very good photo. Thank's for sharing.
Holy Moly!
Awesome blog!! I've always been a fan of nature's fury, and totally appreciate the sense of suburban adventure one can have appreciating a good storm!
I love your writing. Managed to read almost everything in the last couple of days. You are so talented and have such a great eye.
hey, nice piece. i like the way you write. subtle, but deep
-http://paolomarcosmanalo.blogspot.cm/
I'll bet your storms are tropically gorgeous in Thailand, Mikethepikey. I'm envious.
An, the real thing was so much more than that sad little picture I took. Thanks.
Thanks, Free. I'm delighted you came by!
You had me at “suburban adventure”, B-Bot.
Pmm012, I believe you're reading between the lines. Nicely done, and thanks for the kind words.
Wow – thanks, Goodmood! Just stopped by your blog for a quick look – good writing.
Thank you, after reading you, that means a lot!
Awesome pic! Sublime, I dare say!
I love the rain, hate hot weather, but live in Italy so…
A wonderful post! I can feel that storm from here. I miss them from my Minnesota days. Along with the earthquakes from my California days. These days in my new place the weather is too tame.
You get out there and handle those gals!
When I was little my parents lived in this old apartmentish building with the same type of gals, but back when I was little I was also afraid of storms and couldn't judge them for the channel switches between fox and weather. Now I love to see a good storm and wish i could take such a good pic. of it. As for the phone, I got my first on a couple of months ago. I have been living my whole life without one and now god save me I love it and its 3.2 mega pixel camer 😉
That picture is beautiful and I love what you've written 🙂
Love your style. I spent 30 years in public secondary education teaching English, speech and drama, psychology, and counseling (small rural schools, ya gotta do it all). Retired now and started blogging last month. Glad I found you!
I will be frank
And I will say
I’m writing this
So you can come my way
OMG this was too funny! “Tall brick wall keeping us protected from – I don't know – maybe young people with sex drives and fast cars and bigger dogs.” LOL!
There are so many funny lines here!
I love it! I'm afraid of storms. I'm afraid I'd be locked up tight like the old people, though.
Enjoyed the post!
thanxs forthe lil update 🙂 now heres one for you
*im a teen so therefore i use slang
*my blogs are not ment 4 ur age group
*rolling my eyes please thats what 5yr olds do
*and i blog for no other reason but only to express my thoughts and feelings so they r not bottled inside of me:) i honestly dont even care if ppl read or comment it.
What is a garden home??
beautiful entry
You're entirely welcome, Goodmood!
Maria, Italy is paradise. You're the luckiest woman I know today.
Miss the earthquakes! That's a first, NanU. And thanks for having my back on the widow-women situation.
Now that you have that fancy camera, Emory, get out there and take some pictures. Be careful with the storms, though – I'm a terrible example of weather safety.
Thanks for the kind words, Still Getting There!
Everyone, a standing ovation for Wandering Mind! I mean it. I know all too well what it means to be a rural school teacher. Many times saints like you have seven preps and sponsor two or three activities. It takes a special kind of love to teach like that, so my hats off to you, and to your retirement! Go blog like crazy and enjoy yourself. You deserve it.
1/1, poetic honesty. Thank you.
Don't worry about the storms, Pat. I'll keep working to get a good tornado picture and you can live vicariously through my storms. Thanks for stopping in!
Thnx for yr update, Alpha. (Did I do it right?)
Nathanael, a garden home is a small but nice house with a tiny yard. Folks generally pay to have that yard taken care of by someone else. These houses are usually in clusters.
Why, thank you, Max. Come back anytime!
The Weather Channel and Fox News! Brilliant! That's all you have to say and I know these ladies.
And I think I know why that wall was erected too. It keeps out…oh let's see…democrats, people who voted for democrats, folks who think everyone deserves health care…need I go on?
That's like your silver lining in the dark cloud, literally. Great picture!
That wall is a powerful thing, Mike. It makes them feel safe, though, and I guess that's important. Bless their hearts.
Why, that IS a silver lining. Thank you, 2 Teach, because today got a little frantic and I forgot about the good stuff.
Exhale.
I used to sneak out of bed on nights like that…. walk alone up the hill toward the barn in the pitch black… feeling the expectancy in the air on my skin. The night seemed alive… magic…
Your writing is delicious- thank you… made me remember… and feel it again…
What a wonderful moment, Sally. Love the writing you're doing on your blog, too. Wow.
And thanks.
thank you…
rather new to this writing experience… loving it..
just read your most recent post- laughing and crying…
hoping for a good day for all of you…
There's a lot of laughing and crying today, Sally. So far so good (fingers crossed) although it's all I can think about today. Time to put my teacher-face on and shake it off.
Oowee, nice pic. Here in Toronto, we just had a doozy of a storm rip through like the four Horsemen on a bender. I also like the image of you standing int he deserted 'adult community-ish' street defiantly holding your cellphone to the whipping wind. Nice.
I thought I'd get another chance tonight, but it fizzled out into a weepy rain. That's fine. I've got the good camera ready now.
love that top photo ahhh : )
<3//Coco
nice pic…amazing…
Thanks Coco and Ajab!
wow i just looked at your page.i am truly inspired by you.I love taking pictures and writing.Your amazing
Thanks, Harmony. I hope you're off somewhere scribbling and clicking away.
This is a beautiful picture! Love the sunset and I like your page!
Cheers,