Hail, yeah.

When you live in Oklahoma you expect tornados.  That just goes with the territory.  And with tornados come lovely little ice from the sky... also known as Hail.    My pretend boyfriend, meteorologist Rick Mitchell

(let's just stop for a moment and pay homage to my fake boyfriend....sigh)..  Is in my front room most evenings when bad weather is a-comin' (just like any GOOD self respecting boyfriend should be.... protecting their women folk)  ... anyway, back to the story....

I arrived home from work, and of course, the weatherwomen of all weatherwomen, MY MOM, informs me that we are going to have some terrible weather.  TERRIBLE, she insists.   Well, it's 100 degrees outside, and there isn't a cloud in sight, so I send her home with a "Okey dokey", to which she sniffs at me, and leaves.   When mom sniffs, you know you have done messed in your oatmeal.   But, it was too PRETTY outside to have any significant weather, right, right, Right???   Well, it is Oklahoma. 

Here is the best way to show you what happened.  THis Youtube video by a neighbor one mile away, shows it best.  At 2 minutes and 36 seconds in, it happens, so just hang in there... and get ready for the videographer to bless some poop when it really hits....  Ok, get your umbrellas and fasten your seatbelts...

See, in Oklahoma we don't mess around!  Here are some shots of our house when it was done....

My front yard

Mom's house got popped pretty good.. you can see her siding tore off and her flower pots all blown over.  Her trash can was down the street too.  Kip was across town and as she drove home she got more horrified the closer she got... here was some of what she saw only 1 mile away....

trying to drive across Norman

power lines down EVERYWHERE! snapped like twigs

speaking of twigs...



Anyway, she got home, and Grammie and I were standing out in the yard to our ankles in hail.  Totalled our roofs, garage doors, patio covers, but we were so lucky.  Two weeks earlier, our dear friends lost their house in the El Reno tornado.  We got a flick on the cheek, they got spanked.  And I think they had the most powerful message ever from the sign they retrieved from the wreckage....

The most important things in life AREN'T things...



So, we were lucky.  Had a great story to share, new roofs out of the deal, plenty of ice for everyone, and quality time with Rick Mitchell.   Gotta love Oklahoma weather....