Prairie Notes

Hi Friends,

I'm sitting at my computer, and glad to hear silence. We are under a tornado watch until 4:00 a.m., so I'm glad I don't hear anything like a jet plane or a train coming through -- never quite so happy to hear the silence.

The baby wrens have hatched on the back deck earlier this week. Husband helped two back into their nest tonight when he found them on the deck.

One more class that I have to teach and then the final. I'm looking forward to a break before the summer classes start.

Sweet dreams with hugs,

EJ

I cant begin to imagine being under a tornado watch!!!!
Strange to try and visualise what others are doing on the other side of the world.

The baby wrens sound alot more fun than the tornados,how old are they and how many are there? Im not even sure what a wren looks like but thinking its a little roundish brown bird??

Enjoy your break and keep safe from those tornadoes.

EJ I just sat down to watch the tv news after posting the above.And there on the news was the tornadoes you were talking about.The one they showed hit Greensburg, I do hope that is not near to where you live.I saw the extreme devastation it has left in its path,just terrible.

ej I wish I could see our baby birds! I love watching the finches in our tree out front! have fun with them!

EJ you have been in my thoughts with the weather that has been roaring across differenet parts of the state you live in the past few days. I hope things are ok. How sweet of you to put the wren back in its nest. Hopefully the next time it falls will be the time it can fly. Take care ans stay safe.

BB

Hi SicknTired,

I'm not a native Kansan either, so I haven't quite become accustomed to all of these tornado watches. I've been here going on ten years, but five years ago we moved to a rural area. We were so taken with the property that we didn't notice there wasn't a basement.

Can you believe it? The last people filled it in.

A lot of the storms this year have originated near us. However, Greensburg, Kansas, is about 700 miles southwest of us. The tornado there was about 3/4's of a mile wide.

The survival rate was pretty high b/c there was warning, and most people got in their basements.

They are saying there is going to be tornadic storms again tonight. There is weather system to the west of Kansas feeding energy onto the Plains.

I will check in later.

Hugs,

EJ

SicknTired and Bebop,

Wrens are tiny little grey birds. This mother wren has hatched baby wrens at our house at least three years now. She usually makes two batches.

Finches are beautiful.

Hugs,

EJ

bebop, can you get a storm cellar dug out rather quickly? A hole in the gound that you then fill in and make to you specifications using wood. Make a heavy storm door. Or here is one a friend told me about. Sounds like me. She loved her van so much she had it buried as a shelter when it died. Just had a few stairs to the top with a heavy door that latched from the inside. She keeps all of he essentials in there like radio, food, water, dump pan and bags, blankets etc. It makes a funny picture in my head.

((((((((((( EJ )))))))))

You must have a storm cellar. It's an absolute necessity for you.

Hugs,

Jan

Bebop, WiseWoman and Jan,

This is the first year so many of the twisters have started near us.

Tonight we are back under a Tornado Watch until 3:00 a.m. I did find going to sleep last night, but tonight I can't get my head in the right "zone".

I have two large closets in the meantime.

Love,

EJ

((((((((((( EJ ))))))))))

If the weather looks like it will be bad, is there a shelter nearby that you could share with a neighbor?

Hugs,

Jan

Hi Jan,

Thank you for your concern, and reminding me our closest neighbor (a mile down the road) does have a large shelter.

We have had tornado watches two nights in a row, which is not quite as serious as a warning, which means a tornado has been spotted on the ground.

(((((((Jan)))))))

EJ

Would you have time to get to the neighbor's shelter with a warning? That is one time you should NOT be afraid to break the speed limit!

Hugs,

Jan

Would you have time to get to the neighbor's shelter with a warning? That is one time you should NOT be afraid to break the speed limit!

Hugs,

Jan

Great to hear back from you,but realise you are still at risk,please keep in contact with us,

Over here in New Zealand i have little fantails flying low around the garden and front door,they are so sweet tweetering to each other.We also have magpies warbling in our tallest tree.

Take care,thinking of you in Kansas.
Mandy.

SCARY STUFF! Does one EVER get used to living with this stress every year?

Hi Jan,

Assuming the tornado wasn't extremely close, we could probably make it to our neighbor's shelter.

The only problem is I don't know if my husband and I could stand to leave our animals alone.

Thanks for caring.

EJ

Hi jSick n Tired,

Your fantails and magpies sound wonderful.

There appear to be only two baby wrens this year so far. One of them was sitting on the edge of the nest this morning, but when I checked later, Mom had landed on the nest, and was sitting on the little culprit.

For now we are out of the woods -- weather wise.

Thank you for your concern.

EJ

(((Hugs))) to all. Sunday, there was a tornado warning for an area south of me... an area that included my T and my son and his family... I called son to tell him (can't believe he didn't know! Guess that is why I was inclined to call.) It was terrible weather here too, but no tornado. It touched down only in the everglades though.

Glad you are all ok!

I lived in the Texas Panhandle for a year...and there were tornado watches all the time...It was scarey! I am thinking of you and what you must be going through! Take care and please go to shelter if there is a warning!