Right before the first wave of storms moved in (from south to north, by the way..which ain't natural) Daddy called and said that he and Mama were headed up our way just in case a quick dive into the basement became necessary. That didn't happen, thank goodness. They went back home after it passed and Babygirl and I went undercover when the second round passed through about 10PM. Blessed again, it was over by the time she went to work at 11. I snapped a couple of pics when the 'rents were here...Mom and Faith waitin' out the storm and Lily cat climbing up my Daddy's boot while Sam vies for attention. It's a freaking zoo around here. And I love every minute of it.

The closest severe damage landed in Jackson, about 45 miles away where the dorms at Union University were obliterated and fortunately nobody was killed. Students were trapped in the debris for some time until rescue workers could dig them out. Others in various points in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississipi and Kentucky were killed. A lot of them. If you have ever seen first hand the magnitude of the damage that a tornado can cause, you are fortunate. The scene literally looks like a bomb was dropped and it blew the hell out of everything around. I've seen a lot of the aftermaths and helped to clean them up, as much as can be done. The latest was just a couple of years ago when 12 people were killed in our county. The randomness of the whole thing is what amazes me the most. One house can be standing while the one next to it has nothing left but a slab.

Thanks to all of you for thinking of me. You'll never know how much that means.

^j^