Random Destruction

[ocnblu]

As my mother ages, she's gotten pretty frightened of thunderstorms, especially if there is a tornado watch involved. She lives in a trailer park, and keeps her little place neat as a pin. I guess having seen some of the destruction on the news over the years from storms in the midwest, has hightened her awareness. I usually use humor to try to calm her, and try to cite probability to show her that she'll be OK.

Friday night, a tornado that was embedded in a thunderstorm, along with some destructive straight-line winds, blasted through her area, to within a mile of her home. She lost power, and said she heard a thunderous, constant roar for a while, but that she didn't feel it was that bad, until she got her power back, and saw the news. "Too close to home" is what she said, over and over, as I drove her around the country roads to survey the damage yesterday morning.

[Camino LS6]

Whoa!

Glad she's ok.

[A Horse With No Name]

Glad she's okay!

[Robert Hall]

Glad she's ok.. trailer parks unfortunately seem to be tornado magnets.

[ocnblu]

Yeah, that's what her worry is. But this time it missed her community by a mile... or so. It did tear up a little independent bodyshop that always seems to have interesting cars out front... and knocked down barns, twisted the tops out of trees and full-on pushed quite a few over, some onto the roofs of houses.

Edited October 21, 2012 by ocnblu

[G. David Felt]

WOW, Glad to hear she is OK Ocn. Has she thought of moving someplace else or maybe into something a bit more solid than a trailer?

I always wonder why the homes in the mid west are not built more often with a in ground level so there is a protected place to go to. Also why allow trailers when the destruction is so bad. I just figure there has got to be a safer more stable housing structure for everyone that would be reasonably priced due to the storms and the need for something so solid.

[ocnblu]

Our area is not known for tornadoes, and who would have thought one would occur anywhere on October 19th? Very freaky, imo.

Yes, underground storm shelters should be a part of everyone's houseplans in some especially vulnerable parts of the country, imo.

[G. David Felt]

Our area is not known for tornadoes, and who would have thought one would occur anywhere on October 19th? Very freaky, imo.

Yes, underground storm shelters should be a part of everyone's houseplans in some especially vulnerable parts of the country, imo.

Just glad your mother is OK. I have entered that same time of having to deal with my 72 and 68 year old parents and the last few years they have changed so much from the charging parents I grew up with to being scared of so many things.

[ocnblu]

Thanks dfelt. I am glad she's alright, too.

[Robert Hall]

I worry about my Mom in rural Ohio..81, in good health overall, she has my crazy brother living nearby. But sometimes I wish I wasn't 1500 miles away...I get the guilt trip and think I should relo to the Midwest or East Coast to be closer.

[ocnblu]

My mom turned 68 on September 28th.

[G. David Felt]

I worry about my Mom in rural Ohio..81, in good health overall, she has my crazy brother living nearby. But sometimes I wish I wasn't 1500 miles away...I get the guilt trip and think I should relo to the Midwest or East Coast to be closer.

Or relocate her to be closer by you, never know she just might enjoy the change and getting away from crazy brother.

My mom turned 68 on September 28th.

Very Cool, seems the late 60's moving onward people change unless they have always lived their life by charging forward. Good luck with her as she hopefully enjoys her golden years for a long time.

[Robert Hall]

I worry about my Mom in rural Ohio..81, in good health overall, she has my crazy brother living nearby. But sometimes I wish I wasn't 1500 miles away...I get the guilt trip and think I should relo to the Midwest or East Coast to be closer.

Or relocate her to be closer by you, never know she just might enjoy the change and getting away from crazy brother.

Not likely to happen..she has no interest in leaving the 'farm' (150 acres in the woods on a lake in E. Ohio)--been there 44 years, even moved back full time there after wintering in Florida for 15 years. And she likes our brother more than my sister and I...

[G. David Felt]

I worry about my Mom in rural Ohio..81, in good health overall, she has my crazy brother living nearby. But sometimes I wish I wasn't 1500 miles away...I get the guilt trip and think I should relo to the Midwest or East Coast to be closer.

Or relocate her to be closer by you, never know she just might enjoy the change and getting away from crazy brother.

Not likely to happen..she has no interest in leaving the 'farm' (150 acres in the woods on a lake in E. Ohio)--been there 44 years, even moved back full time there after wintering in Florida for 15 years. And she likes our brother more than my sister and I...

OUCH! To the likes the Sister and brother more than me. That hurts. We'll then stay in touch and enjoy your life. Not much else you can do.

[Robert Hall]

I worry about my Mom in rural Ohio..81, in good health overall, she has my crazy brother living nearby. But sometimes I wish I wasn't 1500 miles away...I get the guilt trip and think I should relo to the Midwest or East Coast to be closer.

Or relocate her to be closer by you, never know she just might enjoy the change and getting away from crazy brother.

Not likely to happen..she has no interest in leaving the 'farm' (150 acres in the woods on a lake in E. Ohio)--been there 44 years, even moved back full time there after wintering in Florida for 15 years. And she likes our brother more than my sister and I...

OUCH! To the likes the Sister and brother more than me. That hurts. We'll then stay in touch and enjoy your life. Not much else you can do.

When our father was alive, the dynamic was my brother always fought w/ Dad and was Mom's boy... my sister and I got along better w/ Dad than Mom. Plus that fact that our brother has lived in the family guest house rent free for 30 years (after his divorce he moved back in). Maybe I am better off being 1500 miles away, I always feel like a stranger when I visit home...though I still a bunch of stuff there incl. my Mustangs.

Edited October 22, 2012 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[G. David Felt]

I worry about my Mom in rural Ohio..81, in good health overall, she has my crazy brother living nearby. But sometimes I wish I wasn't 1500 miles away...I get the guilt trip and think I should relo to the Midwest or East Coast to be closer.

Or relocate her to be closer by you, never know she just might enjoy the change and getting away from crazy brother.

Not likely to happen..she has no interest in leaving the 'farm' (150 acres in the woods on a lake in E. Ohio)--been there 44 years, even moved back full time there after wintering in Florida for 15 years. And she likes our brother more than my sister and I...

OUCH! To the likes the Sister and brother more than me. That hurts. We'll then stay in touch and enjoy your life. Not much else you can do.

When our father was alive, the dynamic was my brother always fought w/ Dad and was Mom's boy... my sister and I got along better w/ Dad than Mom. Plus that fact that our brother has lived in the family guest house rent free for 30 years (after his divorce he moved back in). Maybe I am better off being 1500 miles away, I always feel like a stranger when I visit home...though I still a bunch of stuff there incl. my Mustangs.

Just keep in mind to make sure everyone knows what is yours, I have had to deal with leaving stuff with grandparents and then cousins saying it was not mine but the grandparents and it was left to them. It gets messy. Hope all works out for you in the long run.

[Turbojett]

That is scary. A tornado missing her by just a mile is way too close.