Chicken stress flare!!!!

I'm sure we all have drivers that cause us to flare. For me it's worrying about medical results and a few other things... I thought I knew them all. I thought I had it all covered and under control. I guess not.

We have had some pretty bad storms here in the last few weeks. Tornadoes, hail, driving rain, extreme wind storms.... The list goes on.

Last week I was driving home from the pharmacy. I was already steaming and stewing because yes... Yes .. I wore a mask. Gasp!!! Shock!!! And the people at the pharmacy parted like the red sea when I strolled thru the door.... And then they wiggled their eyebrows, waggled their heads and stared at me wondering if I was paranoid or deranged. It was all I could do to not yank my mask down, twirl in circles and scream BOO repeatedly. I withstood the temptation and congratulated myself almost all the way home. I was feeling so pleased with myself.... But....

The storm that was supposed to start later in the evening blew in early. The force of the winds amazed me. I pulled into the outbuilding and started to walk to the house.. struggling against the wind and thinking "Thank God I was still carrying my winter "fluff" so the wind couldn't pick me up and carry me away. The blowing tumble weeds flew by me.... Screeching and caawing... I thought for a moment... When did tumbleweeds or strong winds start making that noise? Tornadoes ... They are supposed to sound like trains but what about a little one...What noise might it make? So I dashed into the house, one hand on the walker and the other trying to hold an upside down umbrella.... knowing there was a tornadoe coming my way and wondering if my furry robe belt was going to be strong enough to tie around the shower head... And if the shower head would even "hold" me with all my winter "fluff". (Darned if you are fluffy darned if you aren't) I had visions of the movie Tornado dancing thru my head and thought My God.... I'm going to look like a big round red balloon fluttering on a string.....dancing in the wind. Terrified I finally made it to the bathroom and climbed into the tub.

My phone started pinging.....it was my neighbor.... Her rooster had blown over towards my house...had I see him? He'd escaped while they were trying to get them inside their outbuilding. I told her I had only seen tumbleweeds and heard the wind.... And as we were talking I could feel the doubt...the knowledge...that the caawing tumbleweed was that darn rooster.

I didn't say anything. My neighbor and her kids are still searching for that rooster. It's been about a week now....and he is still missing..... And yet...that bird.... it's taught another lesson.

Guilt. Chicken guilt can make me stressed enough to go into a mini flare....

That darn bird!!!

Clo

Brava, another magnificent tale! I know you don't enjoy living through these experiences, but I hope writing about it later mitigates it at least somewhat. They sure are a bright spot in my day!

So scary though - a tornado!! I have never lived through any kind of tornado but for some reason I have recurrent nightmares about them.

Poor rooster... even though I laughed at the description of a screeching & cawing tumbleweed!

It was definitely an exciting few minutes.

Not only is the rooster gone, but so is the neighbors trampoline. It's the 2nd one she's lost to these "high winds" in the last 4 years. Last time it was definitely a tornadoe. It lifted a shed onto the middle of the road and took her trampoline. We could see the black cloud and it sounded just like a train. It "jumped" our house and dropped the shed on the road a about a quarter mile away. Just sat it down all in one piece. This time it was different. I didn't think tornadoe until I was almost in the house..... and the "tumbleweed" went zipping by. If I had lifted my legs I think even I could have flown. We have been fortunate in that it hasn't gotten our house or outbuilding...

And to make matters worse.....unfortunately ...once silly ideas pop into my head while I am stressed I can't get them out. All I could visualize was a chubby old lady flapping in the wind hanging from her shower head by her robe belt while her house was peeled away around her ..... And thinking OMG I shoulda worn the blue shirt. Plus I was hoping my underwear was clean....Yikes!!!

Getting to the interior bathroom and knowing you can't go back out into that wind... So you have to hunker down in the bathtub....it is sobering. I think if I'd had 2 spoons I'd have been able to dig a full basement in those 5 or 10 minutes. What surprised me was my stupid phone still worked and I could get text messages about that rooster. I wanted to howl with laughter.... It was so surreal.

My spouse keeps telling me the mini flare is from the stress of the storm...being scared in a bathtub...and feeling guilty because we haven't sustained an damage. (knock on wood) But I dunno. I feel sorta guilty for feeling sorta relieved.... Today I couldn't even eat KFC....lol....

Clo

Old Hat,

Wow!

Tornadoes are scary. They are there one minute and gone the next. I'd have been better off in the tornadoe shelter in the outbuilding but by the time I realized things were getting nasty there wasn't enough time. Sun shiny and windy one minute then suddenly gray, windy with rain and hail. Radar showed a little gap so I thought it would miss us.... Or I'd never have left my house.

Hurricanes, for some odd reason, totally freak me out. I think it's the calm in the middle of the storm and the tidal surge. I've lived on the coast and in the Midwest. There's no way I could have gone out in a hurricane. We lived on the gulf coast and once I packed almost the whole house and had it loaded up..... And that was with a "projected" hurricane. Lol... Kudos to you. You are much braver than I am.

Clo

Clo ... you should compile these stories into a book. Your writing style reminds me of Erma Bombeck and just as entertaining!

Glad you survived!!

I for one really appreciate it, Clo! You are right, we can sure use a smile or chuckle, and it is a bright spot in my day when you post one of your stories.