Photography

Mary By Candlelight

Shelly

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The electricity was still out this morning as I was getting ready for work, so I had to shower by candlelight. Something about a nightlight lit by candles struck me as funny.

I know I should be feeling thankful (and I am!), because no one here was killed or even seriously hurt, but looking at all the destroyed trees around town makes me a little weepy. So many trees, and apparently all from straight-line wind. I think we had a final total of five tornado warnings, before it was all done, but the only confirmed tornado, that I know of, was south of here, near Bedford. Like I said, we were lucky, even though it’s still kind of painful to look at.

Walmart was closed today, to give you some idea of the extent of the damage. Walmart! Closed! Have you ever heard of such a thing?!

Music

Danger Will Robinson!

Shelly

The tornado sirens went off. AIEEE! I get emergency warning texts from the university, and according to IU there was a tornado spotted in the campus area.

Have I mentioned how much I hate storms? They scare the everlovingcrap out of me.

On a more entertaining note, I freaking love this song. I don’t know why, but it makes me happy.


Why Don’t You Love Me (Like You Used to Do)? by Hank Williams

Videos

Gust Front

Shelly

A storm hit yesterday afternoon. Lots of trees down all over town, and some folks won’t have electricity until tonight or maybe tomorrow. It was the leading edge that caused the damage, because of the high winds. After about 15 minutes things quieted down, and after that it was just a rain event. But when the gust front hit, AIEEE! The wind was unbelievable.

We only lost one tree in the back field, which amazes me. The ground is so super-saturated, and tree roots are so shallow, that I expected we’d lose more. There were hundreds of trees down around town, though. Lots of property damage, but from what I’ve heard there were no serious injuries.

More storms are forecast for tonight. O joy.

Music, News & Politics

Rapture

Shelly


Rapture by Blondie

Harold Camping has disappeared. Now, the cynical among us might think he’s hiding out or that he’s died of embarrassment after May 21st came and went and we weren’t all Hoovered up into Heaven. I, however, prefer to think that his rapture visions were true, but that he misunderstood, and that yesterday God called him–and him alone–home. Or maybe it was Satan. I get those two mixed up sometimes.

My Garden, Photography

Polly’s Frenemy

Shelly

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Polly has a thing about robins. There’s a pair nesting in the fir tree by my patio, and they’re bringing worms and bugs back and forth, so Polly’s been in a bit of snit. I don’t know if she hates the robins, or if she wants to be friends with them, or if she just wants them to magically fly into her mouth. Whatever it is, when she sees a robin, she makes the most amazing chattering sound. It’s half meow and half wacky-assed monkey bark. So all day today, as the robins were flitting back and forth and periodically landing in and around the patio, Polly would suddenly break into her very own call of the wild.

Ladybusiness, News & Politics

Cutting Edge: The Virgin Daughters

Shelly

I’ve been reading a lot of fundamentalist Christian blogs lately, and one of the things that has especially bothers me is the purity pledge phenomenon. The fathers promise to protect their daughters’ hymens until the girls are married, at which point ownership of the daughter is transferred from father to husband. The girls–some of them just 5-6 years old–must promise to abstain from sex until marriage. There is, of course, no corresponding ceremony for mothers and sons, because boys have no responsibility to remain pure. The girls must not only police their own sexuality, but that of the males as well. If the boys stray, it’s the girls’ fault, because girls are all dirty dirty whores deep down inside. It’s “she was asking for it” with a fundie twist.

Anyway, romantic dates with dad? O gross!