the calm before the storm

Nothing provokes the fury of a thunderstorm quite like a basket of freshly washed linens hung out on the line.

A far-off rumble of thunder betrays the quiet calm of a cool, sunny day. To the west, darkening skies. To the east, a convergence of black and blue. The birds chirp and twitter in a nervous sort of way; the rabbits and deer sniff the air, sensing an oncoming storm, then scatter for shelter with the first drops of rain.

I stop and survey the skies and feel an exhilaration rush through my body as I am transported back to life in the midwest. This is it, I think. My body remembers the eery quiet all too well, the calm before the storm. Thunder, a flash of lightning.

Come inside, mom!

Her sweet voice pulls me from my memories of those hot, Kansas months riddled with intense summer storms. I hurriedly remove the clothes from the line as the rain begins to bear down. The wind increases, and it reverberates through the trees like a mother frantically trying to calm her crying baby.

shhh shhh shhh

My children entangle themselves in my protective embrace, veterans of blizzards yet inexperienced with duck and cover.

I turn on the news and see the bright-red indication of the main attraction. South East Ithaca. Slaterville Springs. Caroline. Rt. 79. We are in the storm's direct path.

Get in the basement. Now. I say calmly, yet with a firm authority that commands immediate attention.

For the next fifteen minutes, we listen to the rain lash against the windows. One inquires about the location of the twister; the other needs reassurance that should both her parents die in this storm, she and her siblings will go to a good family; the youngest is oblivious and content to play with dollies.

And then it is over, almost as quickly as it begins.

Tears are wiped away.

The weatherman says it's okay to play outside again.

Such is the first day of summer . . .


**We found ourselves in the basement earlier this afternoon due to a strong storm cell moving directly over the area we call home. Although there were tornado sightings not too far from here, the storm had thankfully lost it's intensity as it continued to pass through.**