Having been raised in the Midwest, I was taught the dangers of taking a shower during a thunderstorm. One time I was showering in my second-floor, windowless bathroom when I heard a low rumble over the noise of the shower. Thinking it thunder, I quickly rinsed my hair and turned off the water. As I was drying off, the phone rang. Since I was also taught not to talk on the phone during a thunderstorm, I ended the call as quickly as I could.
As I hung up, I glanced out a window and saw two funnel clouds just hovering above the ground a few miles away. Channeling Lucille Ball, I stood rooted, making gasping noises and ineffective hand gestures. My neurons were firing away trying to make a connection. “Should I run to the basement … but I’m only wearing a towel … do I take the time to get dressed … I don’t want to be found naked!” Finally, a connection: Grab your clothes and get dressed in the basement.
Once dressed, I was amazed at how brave I suddenly became. Now my thoughts ran along the lines of “Where is the video camera?” I crept up the basement stairs and saw that the funnels were now hovering over my property. I scurried back down to the basement.
The funnels dissipated without incident. I told my father about my little adventure the next day and he went to investigate. He found evidence that the funnels had indeed touched down about 3 miles from the house. Hmm, something tells me that low rumbling I heard was not thunder.
Moral of the story: Yes, this Midwestern gal knows not to take a shower during a thunderstorm. But during a tornado … all bets are off.
