Mother Nature is mean

So, I cancelled the evening's job due to forecasted storms and decided to just take it easy.  About an hour ago, I went for my daily run and had scheduled a 9 miler down some gravel roads outside of town.  I was looking forward to the event with the rolling farm lands and the occasional cow to talk to.  Only this time, it wasn't meant to be.

I had just got about 3 miles outside of town when the sky was starting to darken, but it looked a long ways off yet and I actually enjoy running in the rain, so I kept going.  Then the Sheriff pulls up me and tells me the good news....90 mph winds and BASEBALL-Size hail is heading straight for us.  I asked how far off?  His response was "get to that farm house....and now!"

That's not good, but then my stupid side came out and decided that it sounded like a challenge...race against the storm.  Besides, my van was parked outside in the driveway so I had to get home first or else be driving a wiffle ball with wheels.

I took off at a quick pace only needing about 22 minutes to reach the house.  I had 2 motorist pull up next to me to tell me about the storm coming and offered a ride, but this was a challenge remember...man vs. nature kind of thing.  So, I declined the offers and just kept pushing on.

About a 1/2 mile from the house, the storm caught up.  Just some heavy rain and the winds were picking up, but I felt like it would be an easy victory being so close to the finish.  Besides, my lane is heavily covered with shade trees that provided some good cover from the rain.  Well, at least they did until the branches started breaking and falling on top of me!

So, I had to dodge marble-sized hail, extreme winds, and falling branches (big ones too) over the final 1/2 mile to the safety of my porch.....stupid, but exciting.  Once I got to the house, the storm opened up and the winds were blowing at 65 mph and the hail was almost like snow.  I never got the van moved inside before it hit.  At least it is parked up against my 3-story house so that should block most of it.

Next up is the tornado's that are being predicted in the area over the next few hours....I think I will stay inside for that one.  Here is a view from my bathroom window as I went inside....my gutters are already overwhelmed by the shear amount of hail....yikes.

Didn't make it to baseball size, but a solid golf ball at least.  The van fared well with some small dings in the hood, but my daily driver looks like an angry kid attacked it with a ball-peen hammer  

Ok, seriously Rob, WHEN ARE YOU MOVING OUT OF THERE ? LOL   
On a serious note, glad you made it home safely :-)
So what's going to happen to the van ? Insurance or you pay for it yourself ?

The van is old enough that a few dings aren't a big deal. I only found 3 in the hood and about 6 on the roof. It will become more back-up duty by July, so I am just going to accept it.

As for the weather, I'm thinking about moving to a cave!

Man, it seems it's never ending brutality there!   

move to Oregon it just rains!

We have been having crazy weather here in Oklahoma as well. Not so much this year ,at least so far except for a much colder spring that usual . 3 years ago we had the most hail I have ever seen . Golfball to baseball coming down like you wouldn't believe . It started out to be a very hot day but there was so much hail it cooled off 25 degrees or more. Everywhere you looked was hail. There were even drifts 3 feet high. A very strange fog hovered about 4 feet above the ground for a while.
 Totaled a lot of cars and everybody in my part of OKC got new roofs.
Of course last year was the year of the EF5 tornado hitting southern OKC and Moore which is a suburb.
It was a monster. Half a mile wide  and sometimes bigger
of almost 300 mph winds. Same thing happened down there in 1999. I had a job to do down in that area and it looked like a nuclear bomb in the worst areas. I never will forget a Jeep that was twisted like a prezel. I have lived here for most of my life except for a while in Washington State . I so far have been in one tornado . It was classified as a EF0. Still tore down a wooden fence and along with a couple of roofs pulled off the houses and other mostly minor damage. For the first time I hear about people getting storm cellars. A lot of people were last year in Moore Ok including children in a elementary school which was demolished.

So, we survived the record hail storm (insurance companies will be paying out for the next 8 months or more) and then a record twin tornadoes only a few miles apart swept the small town of Pilger right off the map a few nights ago.

Now, the Missouri river is rising faster than they can control which will be reaching near record flood stage by this weekend and is expected to not recede for about a week.

That same town creamed by the hail is about to get flooded out for the second time in 2 years...they just finished rebuilding from the last flood. I spent almost 10 hours today filling sand bags in 95 degree heat for them, but it will probably end up a waste of time.  

All of these towns are less than an hour from me....the worst is just barely missing me so far. Tough place to live right now, but I guess I better get out my flood equipment one more time.

Rob, I feel ya brother. From what I read in the last few threads, your about as overwhelmed as I am. I'm burning on both ends. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel though. It's dim, but it there.

Ryan S wrote:Rob, I feel ya brother. From what I read in the last few threads, your about as overwhelmed as I am. I'm burning on both ends.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel though. It's dim, but it there.  

Very astute, I am burning out quickly....flame on both ends and fire in the middle. Someone is trying really hard to tell me something, but I am not certain what the message is supposed to be....I might have to ask for another vowel.

Discomfort is only the signs of expansion. This usually leads to some insightful planning and personal growth. Comfort is just the opposite, most find themselves in complacency.

I'm just an old Marine, we just state that "Pain is just weakness leaving the body", but the concept is similar.

Once I get some sleep, I will look for my martian skin and get ready to look out over the cliff to see if I can make the leap or if a running start is necessary.

Marine huh. I was real close to joining. Always thought that branch fit me better than other.

I think it would have as well....less hair of course.