Power outage.

[nitemair13]

I have to premise this first by pointing out I'm the young one in the house, the one who, by stereotype, should be addicted to electronic devices and lose my mind when the power is out. Well we had a line of storms come through and knock the power out. I live upstairs and downstairs my parents are having a cow because there's no power. They're on their cell phones reporting it and doing whatever they can on the small screens.
Meanwhile, I'm on the back porch by now with a book and my pipe. I think somewhere along the line I swapped generations or something. I like my computer, my PS4, and other gadgets but I've gotten where I prefer simpler things. They cause less frustration.

 

[Civil War]

Yes, sometimes a power outage can provide you with an opertunity to sit back relax and enjoy the world.

 

[mikethompson]

We had a fairly fierce windstorm rip through here a few weeks ago. No internet or phone (we are cellphone-less around here). It was honestly refreshing, although I did miss this forum.

 

[bnichols23]

God has a sense of humor. Sometimes he does stuff like this just to see the ants scramble.

 

[matthewd]

Taint nothing better than an old lantern and a pipe on the porch.

Add in a good thunder storm and you have a movie to watch.

 

[Chasing Embers]

God has a sense of humor. Sometimes he does stuff like this just to see the ants scramble.

Yup :rofl:

Taint nothing better than an old lantern and a pipe on the porch.

Add in a good thunder storm and you have a movie to watch.

:clap:

 

[bnichols23]

Matthewd, gotta agree. Thunderstorms have always been some of my favorite entertainment. Looks like I'm going to be cheated tonight.

 

[mso489]

nite', if your attitude constitutes any kind of a trend, it is a hopeful sign for the future.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Had the sounds of thunder to put me to sleep last night. I always enjoy that.

 

[matthewd]

Been in Oklahoma 50 years,power outages and thunderstorms

are just another day.I'm the twerp standing on an old

tin pole barn with binoculars watching the clouds.

Thunder and rain acts like a lullaby.It is

real refreshing to hear someone from the younger

crowd who doesn't need electronic toys to entertain

themselves.Kudos to you,your the next leader.

 

[nitemair13]

nite', if your attitude constitutes any kind of a trend, it is a hopeful sign for the future

I don't know if I'm a trend setter or not. I just sort of go about life the way my grandfather taught me. Sadly I don't think many of my generation took the time to get to know their grandparents.

 

[nitemair13]

Been in Oklahoma 50 years,power outages and thunderstorms

are just another day.I'm the twerp standing on an old

tin pole barn with binoculars watching the clouds.

Thunder and rain acts like a lullaby.It is

real refreshing to hear someone from the younger

crowd who doesn't need electronic toys to entertain

themselves.Kudos to you,your the next leader

I'm usually the one outside watching the clouds form as well, if I can catch the storms before they're on top of us. If there's a chance of a tornado here, me and my dad will try to chase the thing just to watch it form. And I love when it rains, so calming to listen to. I don't know about being the next leader but I appreciate you thinking that.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

We had tornadoes take out everyone’s power here, except us. Neighbors were coming over to charge their phones, as, for some reason, we were the only lights on in the neighborhood.

I love tornadoes also. We all usually set up on the back deck and wait for the show. My house is in a hollow, the lowest point in the area, so we usually don’t worry about tornadoes hitting our house :::knock on wood:::

 

[Chasing Embers]

Had some storms here for the past few days. Tornado lover here too. Chased a water spout on Cave Run lake years ago.

 

[nitemair13]

It is rare for a tornado to spawn here. Usually the storms are weakened by the Blue Ridge Mountains and by the time they reach us they're just thunderstorms. Every now and then we'll get a line that moves down from the north and they'll cause them. Watched a funnel cloud form outside my house one day. Amazing thing to see as it passed over and eventually lost its form. Everybody was in the house crammed into a closet while my dad and I stood outside going "That's awesome!"

 

[mso489]

nite', I happened to know all four of my grandparents almost through high school and it certainly widens your sense of the world. Later realized that this is a special luxury in life, and that many people were not near their grandparents growing up, or lost them before they knew them. My wife grew up in a household with her parents and grandmother who lived to be 99, but knew only her among the four because her parents were older when they had her. I had a distinct relationship with all four and was close to my dad's mom, and my mom's dad, spent time with them, and had the benefit of their experience and encouragement. It gives you access to history others never know. I think people who know their grandparents live a little longer, on average, because they respect and understand age better. Not being young isn't an automatic negative. I also knew a great aunt who had led an especially adventurous life, erstwhile wife of a buffalo hunter and Sioux tribe ally, who (my aunt) was an unforgettable presence in my childhood. Her ex- was also an extensively published author on his life with the Sioux, James Willard Schultz. Do a search on him if you're interested. I think he died a year after I was born.

 

[tbradsim1]

Yep, knew both sets, picked ones cotton, my Mothers parents, pulled indigo in the others rice field. Listened to stories, have 3 brown cotton blankets my Father and his Mother weaved in a loom rented with chickens and pigs, cotton was grown by them, a Smithsioan person contacted me said would I let them have them for the Acadian section, No I said that's for my 3 children. Killed a hog to pay for my Graduation ring, 32$, grew up close to the land, heard stories on both sides. Now no one talks to each other. Very sad, bad weather is my cup of tea, wind whistling, thunder crashing, cows running to the trees for shelter, bad idea, succeptible to lighting strikes, one farmer lost over 30 cows .

 

[nitemair13]

I knew all four grandparents as well. My maternal grandmother is still with us, will be 81 this year and I make it a point to see her at least once week. I had a very close bond with my maternal grandfather who taught me so much. He use to grow tobacco and all sorts of things. He basically told me how to run a farm the old way, before modern tractors and all. He was a card, and really took my under his wing. He'd raised 2 girls so I was not only the first grandchild but the first boy and he got to do all the things his dad and granddad had done with me now. My paternal grandfather I knew but not extremely well. He was a hard man to get to know and he died when I was still young. My paternal grandmother though was a human super computer. She instilled a love of reading and writing in me. She's was the only person I knew that could answer jeopardy questions. Knowing them and basically always growing up around them made me mature a lot faster than others my age I think because I never liked other kids, I preferred to be with adults. It does widen your outlook on the world, I tend to catch myself looking at things like my grandfather would have. I find myself looking at fields and saying "That's not how you run rows for tobacco." Something he use to complain about when he would see a crooked row or ones to narrow.

 

[mso489]

One of the best ministers hired by my church had various cohorts of folks stand up at baptisms and promise to support the child or children in various ways. With the grandparents, she'd ask them to regularly tell the children the family stories. It wasn't off-handed or poetic. She was making a contract with them and expected them to make good, it was clear. Grandparents have a way of hanging over your shoulder, undeterred by passing, whispering admonitions in your ear.

 

[nitemair13]

Grandparents make the best story tellers. Its something I try to capture in my writing. Something I learned after my grandfather passed away was that those stories he told me had purpose. There were lessons in each one that are like time capsules. He's still teaching even after he's gone. So good job by your minister to push for that.