A Typical Prairie Breeze

Tragedy on the window sill

Back on Sunday we had a heck of a windstorm. I was at work at my part-time job when the tornado sirens went off. My first reaction was to go outside and look around. This, of course, is thoroughly contrary to what the weather service suggests we do.

Walking out of the glass door I was pummeled by a torrent of sand-infused wind. The sky was brown. I was reminded of the countless sand storms I endured in my youth in the Great Desert Southwest. Those abrasive sand storms may be the only thing I don’t love about that region.

Suddenly, some metal piece of equipment blew off the roof of the building and landing with a screechy, metallic thud on the cobblestone parking lot, narrowly missing some parked cars. It looked like a part to a boat motor. What the hell was that doing on the roof of the building?

I went back inside and googled the weather. We were under an extreme thunderstorm alert. Winds were gusting up to 85 miles per hour. There was also the chance of hail and drenching rain.

I went back outside to the parking lot to look up into the sky. The tornado sirens were still blaring. The sky was no longer brown, though. It had turned rather black.

I know quite a few people who immediately and automatically get into a panic mode when…