Stormy Night

Last night was certainly interesting....  We've been having our Spring thunderstorms since Tuesday afternoon, and they are expected to continue.  Thursday night there was another big blow with rain and hail, and it was pretty yesterday morning.  In late afternoon, things started to get cloudy and the winds picked up.  While walking Lola and Cooper, I remembered my husband telling me that "when the leaves on a tree turn over, and show their backside, you know it's going to rain."  He'd learned that from his mother.  The leaves on the maples, oaks and cottonwoods were all flipped over by the wind yesterday, and when I arrived back at the house with the dogs, I turned on the television to check our local weather.  It was thunderstorm warnings up, and said that in some areas, the rain might fall at a rate of 2 or more inches per hour.
  Now, it's silly, but I checked the channel guide, looking at all of the 700+ channels offered, and I didn't see anything that I wanted to watch.  I started cooking my supper, and I fed, watered and medicated all the critters.  Tipsi didn't want to come inside for dinner, but after I went out with Pounce, he suddenly appeared at my feet and wanted inside.  As soon as I closed the patio door, it began to rain.  Then tremendous flashes of lightning began, followed by window-pane rattling thunder.  My supper had cooked, so turned off all extra appliances, but sat in front of the TV watching a re-run of the movie Van Helsing, with the volume turned way down. (So I could make up my own ridiculous dialog...)
  I was digging into some mashed potatoes when I heard a very disagreeable sound come from the television set.  It was an Emergency Alert from the National Center for Atmospheric Research here in Boulder.  Last week, with the high temperatures, the area was told to be ready for possible flooding from snow melt.  Last night, the warning was that rain was falling at a rate of 4 inches per hour, and that areas along certain creeks were to expect flooding as the rain moved northwest, into the mountains, over the creeks and areas that have been burned by wildfires in the last few years.  The computer-generated voice stated that this was "a life-threatening event" and to expect mud-slides, possible rock slides, and to look out for various burn-damaged debris being pushed along by water.
  One of the creeks named was the creek that runs along my sister and brother-in-law's property on Topaz Drive.  It's the creek that flooded multiple square blocks back in September last year.  Once the announcement was finished - and it was repeated twice, both in English and Spanish, both written on the television screen, and spoken - I called Kathy and Jim.  Jim answered; he was preparing supper in the kitchen, so I asked if he'd heard the warning.  He told me, no, he hadn't heard it, but Kathy was watching TV and should be there to let him know at any minute.  I repeated the warning, and said that it announced to end at 10:30.  Finally, Jim wondered where Kathy was, and found her, sound asleep, on the sofa, with the TV on....  As he'd left the lawn mower with 10 feet of the creek, he thanked me, and said he'd run out and move it, and "keep an eye on the creek level" until he went to bed...
    The lightning and thunder continued almost constantly.  Both dogs became frightened, and the cats wanted comfort, too.  I took everyone upstairs, and I went to bed (reading), and finally fell asleep with two cats and two dogs in bed with me.  I did not need a blanket to stay very warm.
    It's gray and cloudy today, and my kits were very happy to see me.  We've been having a "love-in" at my desk, and I've petted and scratched and rubbed kitty anatomy since I returned home - except when they were eating their special breakfast.  (They don't like lightning and thunder, either; they go under the bed, and I read aloud to them. - That's why they got a special "Momma's sorry" breakfast today.)  The storms are supposed to appear again this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon, as well.  At least I don't have to water the flowers and garden twice a day!