Wacky Weather

Tomorrow is Katie's 21st birthday, so today I headed to Walmart to finish purchasing her gifts and get the supplies for her birthday dinner.  It has been raining. so I took Madelyn with me to help unload everything quickly.  We filled our cart and found a checkout line.  As soon as we had emptied our cartload onto the conveyor belt, an announcement was made that all Walmart employees and shoppers were to immediately walk to the back of the store near the electronics section.  A tornado warning was in effect.  Store personnel refused to allow anyone to leave the building. 

We left our groceries at the register and went to the back of the store.  Store personnel directed Madelyn and I to the aisle with the big screen televisions.  I told Madelyn that big screen televisions could hurt someone if it they fell on top of a person.  We both got on our cell phones and tried to reach various family members.  Mike was at work 30 minutes away; Katie was working at Home Depot down the street.  I texted the house to tell Amy to get everyone downstairs to the lowest level.

After about 10 minutes, store personnel requested they we head for the frozen food section of the store and stand between the huge freezers.  While we were there, Madelyn messaged a few friends and I texted Mike to see how he was doing.  After 15 minutes, the 'all clear' was declared.  Madelyn and I headed up to the checkout counter in the front of the store carrying replacement ice cream to exchange for the now semi-melted ice cream that we had selected earlier. 

On our way home, I checked the other house for damages.  There weren't any problems.  As I drove down our new street, the SUV ran into a power line that was dangling in the center of the road. There was no damage, thankfully.  Phone calls were made to everyone who was not home to tell them to come home the back way to avoid the downed line. 

The wind caused some down tree limbs, but it appears no one was injured in our area.  I'm thankful for cell phones that allow us to contact loved ones to relieve worry.  I'm also thankful that I didn't die at Walmart from a freezer landing on me.  'Died at Walmart' is not a phrase I want on my tombstone.

Another Night Visitor

Mike and I were soundly sleeping when a loud banging was heard from the front door.  Mike stumbled out of bed and answered the door.  It was two police officers searching for a cell phone that had called 911.  The dispatcher could hear breathing in the background, but no one speaking.  The officers tracked the signal to our home and were checking for a medical emergency.

Mike ran upstairs to check on Amy's cell phone, while I checked our phones.  None of those phones had placed any calls recently.  While Mike ran down to the lower level to check Madelyn, Steve, and Joe's phones, I asked if the policeman knew the number that made the call.  Mike discovered that Madelyn had knocked her phone off the shelf in her sleep and rolled over on it.  (Steve was also sleeping on his cell phone, but no calls were made.)  Madelyn had inadvertently dialed by rolling on the phone.  We showed the phone to the officers, who were glad that they didn't need to pound on any other doors. 

The officers were gracious and helpful.  I'm thankful that there are public servants who are able to help when someone may be unable to reach emergency dispatchers. 

We also discovered that our new puppy is not a good watch dog.  The entire time the police were in our home, he laid quietly on his cushion.  As soon as the officer left, he began to whine to be taken outside. 

The kids will no longer sleep with their phones.  Madelyn will now leave her phone on the piano when she goes to bed.  Even though the policemen were gracious, I don't want another visit at 2:30am.