Currently…
Holy high winds, Batman! Guys, we just had a tornado in our town! Here’s the thing. I usually write my posts a day or so ahead of posting. But, I’ve been battling that feeling of meh, know what I mean? Anyway, I didn’t have tomorrow’s (or today’s when you’ll read this) post done. For some reason, WordPress has decided we aren’t exactly best buds anymore so it takes forever to do just about everything. That’s one reason why I’m behind on responding to your comments. For example, it took me over an hour to load 20+ photos! And, that was before the weather got bad.
The weather…
It was really warm and muggy today. It wasn’t summertime humidity, more like storm humidity. IYKYK. I knew, from almost every news source, that we were going to have bad storms tonight, but I never expected what we got. Well, to be 100% honest, I’m not sure what we got because it’s 10:30pm when I’m writing this. Nigel and I were watching TV, and it was lightning and thundering outside.
A little more…
But, it was nothing to get excited about…until it was. All of a sudden, and I do mean sudden, the wind was whipping around. The lightning was one strike right after another, and the rain was just pouring down. This was not like any storm I’ve ever witnessed. I hurried to the front door and opened it (rookie move, I know). I could hear the tornado sirens going off. That’s the bad thing about our house. It’s so heavily insulated, we can’t usually hear it when they test it every Friday at 11:00. Then, I ran and got my phone because, somehow or other, I have it set up to receive emergency alerts (and Nigel does not). It was alerting like crazy!
Even more…
I headed back to get Nigel moving. Normally, he would have been out in the garage with the door up, watching the storm go by. Luckily (only in this case), he couldn’t do that. In our other houses, we would have been in the basement faster than you can say, “SOLD” on a $1 2025 top of the line Mercedes Benz (or whatever car you love)! In this house, we have a crawl space which has this unwieldy trap door contraption. I knew I could push him down into it, but there would be no way I’d get him out! So, I made him get in his wheelchair, pushed him into the hallway, and we stayed there with a bunch of pillows to cover our heads should things start to get really loud…as in the house is coming down around us. As fast as the storm hit, it was over. I’m not sure how fast the winds were, but the alarms I was getting said they could be as high as 80 mph!
The kids…
It was weird that we never once lost power. I was able to get the local tv station on my phone so we could track the progress of the storm/tornado. It was headed right toward our oldest son’s house. I texted him and then my youngest son. The oldest doesn’t have a basement so their plan is to hunker down in their bathroom which is in the center of their house. Of course, the dog was in there with them. My youngest was with his girlfriend, and they were sheltering at a neighbor’s house. I continued to text with them to make sure everyone was OK. Then, my sister, who lives up north, texted to see if all was OK.
History…
It’s eerie because 51 years ago Friday, or April 4, 1974, a line of tornadoes tore through Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio. I remember the date well because my dad was still alive. Nigel and I were playing cards with him in the kitchen that night. Mom might have been cleaning up after supper. All of a sudden, the sky turned this weird orangey green color, and we all just looked at each other. Of course, Nigel and I rushed outside. I don’t think we had much of a storm, but the community of Xenia, Ohio received the brunt of that storm along with several other small towns along the path. I will never forget the color of the sky, and I’m sure, if it had been light out tonight (last night for when you read this), it would have been that color. You can google Xenia, OH tornadoes and see the images. It was horrific.
The interest…
Well, I had thought to use that as a springboard for this post when I started it last week, but things changed! I am no expert at styling outfits. Let’s get that out there right now. In fact, many of you probably do a better job than I do. I think you add interest to your look by wearing things that speak to you, add a punch of color, or accentuate a specific aspect of your body or clothing. For example, I love these slips by Gudrun Sjödén. I think they do several things. First, they sometimes provide that pop of color. Other times, they create interest and draw the eye away from, let’s say, my waistline. And, they definitely speak to me! They say femininity, quirky, and fun. I also am always on the lookout for fun jewelry.
The outfit…
This is the Clay dress, but it’s sold out. It’s a beautiful block print design. Ordinarily, I wear a scarf with my Gudrun dresses. It was warm-ish the day we took these photos, and I wanted to wear my cool new necklace. I added a slip that isn’t quite white, and it isn’t quite ivory. Either way, it looks good as that pop of color! It’s pretty much a one and done kinda outfit. I could easily leave the slip off and probably will when the weather is warmer.
The Lewk!
Yes, these are my Leighton boots once again. These are the Ocean color which is very dark navy/teal color. I bought the necklace and earrings at the gift shop at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The brand is Sylca Designs. I know I will wear the heck out of them! Two of the bracelets are from a boutique in Fishers, IN, and the third (with the large ivory sections) is from Allie & Bess (I think).
Wrap it up, Marsha!
I’m half afraid to see what the backyard looks like. I do know the Blackstone griddle is not on the patio. I’ll have to hunt it down. I wouldn’t think it could have gone far. I just hope it’s not on the other side of the hump. I had been playing with the idea of summerizing the back porch. I’m so glad I didn’t because everything would be scattered all over, I’m sure. As it is, I have no idea what it really looks like. Our back porch is covered and usually very protected from rainstorms. The fact that things are missing off of it testifies to how windy it got. I’m praying no one was injured or killed in this storm. I also hope no one lost their homes. It’s such a tough time right now, and this would definitely break me if I was already struggling. So, can we talk? Have you lived through a storm of this kind or whatever is its equivalent in your neck of the world? Do you have an emergency plan? Obviously, Nigel and I need to talk more about this! What do you think adds interest to an outfit? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as quickly as I can.
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Haha, I had to laugh because I was totally into the tornado story, and then it suddenly hopped over to the outfit! But what a scary experience. We don’t have that here, perhaps a storm 2 times a year. Love your look, very little house on the prairie, which I think looks fabulous on you!
Yeah, my transitions suck, don’t they? I guess it’s because I run out of things to say…doesn’t happen often. It was definitely scary, and I hope I never experience that again.
Thanks…no one has called said Little House on the Prairie to me before, but I see that.
I have only seen tornados on TV and they look terrifying . So glad you and the family are OK.
You have done a lovely job styling this outfit Marsha , it all works beautifully.
I was interested to hear you are having problems with WordPress , I thought it was my elderly computer.
Thanks, Jill! I really do love these slips. I don’t need any more of them, but they’re so good to add interest to an outfit.
Luckily, I didn’t see the tornado. I’m not sure it’s been verified yet, but it must have been hopping and skipping all over the place.
Nope, I’m having lots of problems with WordPress as have others who have commented.
Lovely to see the hair colour back.
So glad you survived the storm, we don’t really have that here with our brick houses., Nor the land mass to build up such a storm. It’s often more high winds along the coastlines.
Thanks, Rosie! Unfortunately, these photos are a couple weeks old. All the pink has faded away. I didn’t even think about the amount of land mass and the effect it would have on tornadoes. Our house is brick, but yours is probably better built. I’m hoping never to experience that again!
I do love that outfit and the layers peeking out definitely add interest. Boy that tornado sounds so scary; we don’t have tornado alarms up here though we have had small/ low powered ones a time or two (and getting more frequent each year!). We’ve had a few hurricanes that make it up here and we have to worry about blizzards in the winter. These past few years we’ve also had earthquakes on the east coast where we’ve felt aftershocks and every time we’re reminded we have a giant fault line running right down the middle of our state. While I feel wildly unprepared to deal with any real major emergency we are most used to hurricane and blizzard prep.
Thanks, Joanne! I really like the dress and slip, too. I wear these slips all the time. We didn’t even hear the siren because the wind and the rain were so loud. It was scary. Earthquakes would be very frightening. I didn’t realize there was a fault line there. I’m sure you’re quite good at blizzard preparedness.
I have never experienced a tornado – how scary, they are so fast and so powerful! I hope you find your blackstone grill! I know when hurricanes are coming we bring everything in because of the winds. We usually have some warning so we can prepare but I know with tornadoes you don’t get that kind of warning,
Your outfit looks great with the necklace and I love the color of your hair – it is so becoming! No matter what you wear your hair adds interest!
xo,
Kellyann
Thanks, Kellyann! I wish my hair was still this color. It’s almost completely gone now. Isn’t the necklace fabulous?
I honestly think the worst part of the storm was over before we were even aware of it. Mike didn’t have his alert thing activated on his phone, and mine was in another room. The wind and rain were so loud, we didn’t hear the tornado sirens, either. I’m not sure how long the alert had been going off when I realized it was getting really bad. We were definitely lucky.
I grew up in Oklahoma, then lived a long time in Texas, so I hear you on the tornado situation! We never had a basement so we had to find other places to hunker down. Luckily our town was never hit. We have only had a couple tornados come close to us while living in Minnesota. Before my dad retired, he was working at a company in Tulsa (not during his teaching period, thankfully) when there was a tornado that came extremely close to them. Everyone was sheltering in the building’s basement when a co-worker of his went into panic mode thinking about his wife being home and tried to leave. My dad and another guy had to physically restrain him to keep him in the basement until the tornado passed. Tornados are definitely an IYKYK situation. The worst we had when I was growing up was a terrible wind storm that took out thousands of trees and did quite a bit of damage to houses. We had an old tree in our yard fall on the roof, and it was a very weird experience to be looking out a window and have it suddenly covered with big tree branches. We had to have significant repairs done to our roof. And I was sad to lose that tree.
As for the outfit…the white/ivory color of the statement necklace really pops against the teal-with-white print, and I like how you repeat that color in your slip for a very well-balance, harmonious, and INTERESTING look!
Wow!! You have lived in some pretty tornadic places. I’m surprised you’ve never experienced one. I can just about imagine the panic that man must have been feeling as I was feeling that for my oldest son. It looked like the storm was headed right toward them. I remember, when I was probably 6 or 7, a tornado or maybe bad wind storm went through our area. We didn’t have power for three days. The biggest thing I remember is have bologna sandwiches!
Thanks for the compliment. I love these daggone slips and want to get a couple more colors. But, just when I say I don’t need any more, they come out with a new color!
We don’t have tornadoes the way you do. Yet. Storms have become more frequent or also stronger here, so who knows? It’s really scary. I’m glad you’re safe and am with you on hoping everyone is and didn’t lose their house.
That’s a lovely outfit, I really like the look of the slips you add to your dresses.
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Thanks, Cat! We have always had tornadoes in Indiana, but I’ve never been this close to one. We went to check on our daughter’s house today, and the damage in some places was horrendous. My heart breaks for those people.
I really love these slips even though they’re a bit pricey. They give a lot of bang for the buck!
Oh my, I am glad you and your family are okay. How very scary. I’m in Ohio and I do remember that Xenia tornado … in fact, one of our local news channels just featured a story about it. Love your look — you always have so much personality in the way you style your outfits!
Thanks, Beth! It was very scary. I don’t know that it was scarier than Xenia because I couldn’t see the sky. I think that would have really made me panic. I really appreciate that…I think I have “grown” into my style…finally!
So glad you were all okay. We didn’t get the weather we were supposed to get here so it bypassed us, I guess. This time anyhow.
I’ve been having horrible issues with WordPress too. It will continually scroll to the bottom of the post and I have to keep scrolling back up to insert photos, etc. and then once I get one in there, it scrolls back down again and I have to start over! So frustrating.
Love the outfit and that photo where you were “coming at” the camera. Too funny!
Thanks, Lisa! It was surreal. We were watching TV, and Mike didn’t have his phone set up to send alerts. Mine does, but it was in the other room. All of a sudden, I noticed it was lightning continuously. I looked out the front door (dumb, I know) and then checked my phone. We were lucky. There’s massive damage in other areas of the town.
I don’t have that problem. I just get the scroll of doom continuously, or something won’t even load…just a blank screen. It seems like there’s a definite problem as others have mentioned it.
It may not be the most attractive photo, but I just had to include it!
I’m so glad you’re okay. Dang, that’s crazy scary.
And you’re wrong…you do style outfits wonderfully. I LOVE the slips hanging out and I’m going to be copying you soon.
XOXO
Jodie
Thanks, Jodie! Now that is the ultimate compliment…being copied by you! Actually, I think the worst of the storm was over by the time I thought to check for alerts. It was non-stop lightning that caught my attention. We weren’t watching a local channel so nothing came over the TV. We were very lucky this time. I’m hoping never to experience that again, though.
So glad you are okay after all the storms! My son called me from IU and asked what he should do after he got the warning. He lives on the 4th floor of an apartment building! I was about to kill him. Lol! I love this look!
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