Tuesday, June 10, 2008

awake with a jolt

Well, we seem to be divided over the summer heat issue.

How do we feel about thunderstorms?

An equally divisive issue, methinks.





I love thunderstorms. The rolling clouds. The loud thunderclaps. The bright flashes of lightning bolts. The brilliantly lit up sky. And then there is the sound of rain pounding on the roof, through the trees, bouncing back up from the ground.

Of course I like to be safely under cover during these events.

It is a wonder that I remained fascinated by these spectacles that found my mother sitting on the chesterfield quivering, like a puppy. Possibly, it helped to count the seconds between the lightning and the thunder and then to guess from which direction the next one would be .

The best lightning show I ever encountered was in Colorado, though I suspect Saskatchewan has some pretty impressive displays as well. I'm not so sure I would be as enamoured of this brute force of nature were I to be living in the middle of nowhere, all alone, threats of tornadoes...



photo from Howstuffworks

8 comments:

  1. I love storms. I live in the mountains so we don't have to worry about tornadoes (though the winds can get bad). When it thunders I love that it echoes and seems to go on forever.

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  2. I used to be totally petrified of thunderstorms. I remember many times going to my brothers room and hide under the bed or try to get in my parents bed. I would be crying and crying... I'm much better now. My father told me counting the seconds was to determine approximately how far the storm was. I still do it to this day.

    My dog hated thunderstorms, I would always find him near my bed, glued to it actually. The cat doesn't like them either but she's a bit better about it. We had a nice cuddling session when it happened last night, around 12:30 ish... Quite the storm too wasn't it?

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  3. So, it took 40 minutes to get from Burlington to St Lawrence. It had just ended when I decided I might as well write about it before heading out to work. Thankfully, it was all over by then. I think my cat was under the bed.

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  4. I love thunder storms, the more spectacular the better! I've always been fascinated by them. When I was a kid, my mom told me thunderstorms were caused by fairies bowling, and I was never afraid of them.

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  5. I don't think I've ever been afraid of thunderstorms especially because I make sure I am out of the line of fire.

    The only thing I hate is when we lose the power and now that even isn't that bad because last month we bought an 8000 watt generator. I have MS and need air blowing on me most of the time. When thunderstorms happen here in NE Pennsylvania, we almost always lose power. Hence the generator.

    When we have thunderstorms, our miniature pinscher doggie climbs into our bed and goes under the covers and shivers until it passes. I love to hold him in my arms as he clings to me during storms. Horrifying for him, but nice for me to be able to provide him with comfort.

    The wind I can live without, but the sound of teeming rain on streets, roof and cars are lovely sounds. It nice to sit on our porch and watch the rain, but the claps of thunder literally bang in my chest.

    We are in for it tonight -- expecting storms to start around 6PM tonight (Tuesday) due to 100 degree heat for the last 3 days.

    Thanks for stirring up the memories. Anne

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  6. to tell u the truth, i m really afraid of lightning and thunderstorms. It scares me and makes me hold the blanket tight. Actually i m fraid of loud noises like thunderstorms and quarrels. it brings in me a unknown fear

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  7. How could you not love a good rollicking thunderstorm? One of the things I really missed living in Halifax for 9 years was thunderstorms – don’t have any on the coast.

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  8. jazz: For me, it was God was bowling, and the lightning was every time he got a strike. My mother was a bowler, with a sense of humour.

    Anne: Welcome! I would hate to be dog with the thunder, though it's nice that he gets comfort from you - my cats have all just hid and look terrified when I peek under the bed to try to calm them down. And yes, there is something about rain beating on a "tin" roof. Our storms seem to have passed - as has the humidity!

    XUP: love that word "rollicking"! One more reason to not live in Halifax (beautiful city though it is)

    Sandy: I can certainly understand the unknown fear. I hate quarrels too, but the ones I grew up with were never as loud as thunder!

    Whim: a storm without wind is best, especially if you can sit on the front porch and watch it all.

    UA: did you count the seconds during the last 3 ones we just had?

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