Tornado Saftey

Tornadoes may strike quickly with little to no warning. Make sure you are prepared before one hits. Always have a weather radio (battery operated) on hand and listen to all instructions. Look for danger signs in a storm: dark, greenish sky, large hail, large dark low-lying clouds, loud, freight train roar. If you see any of these signs, take shelter immediately. Head to a small interior room or hallway on the lowest floor possible. Make sure you have on sturdy shoes and bring a disaster kit. Your disaster kit should include things like: nonperishable foods, bottles of water, blankets, pillows, flashlights, first aid kit, extra batteris, and of course your weather radio. If you happen to be in your car, make sure you make it to a low flat location and never under an overpass.

For more information on Tornado Saftey, visit our friends at http://ohmyapt.apartmentratings.com/apartment-disaster-plan-tornado-safety.html
or
http://blog.apartmentsearch.com/apartment-safety-tips/tornado-safety-tips-for-apartments/

Stay safe out there!

Winter again ... Really? Ugh!

So I told you I would follow up with you when the Farmers Almanac winter predictions came out and I regret to inform you that it was not what I was hoping for ...

While I realize it is not realistic to wish for NO SNOW, one can still dream. I was mortified when I began to read ... "Get Ready for a Wet, Wild Winter" is the title.

Here is a link so that you can read it for yourself.

http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/2011/08/29/2012-us-winter-forecast/

God Bless Joplin

Over the Labor Day holiday, I went to see my family in Southern Missouri. My uncle was getting married and it gave me a good excuse to spend some long overdue time with my Grandma. On the way back home we decided to take a slight detour and went a few more miles up I-44 to go to Joplin, Missouri.

I wanted to see for myself what a tornado was capable of.  As you might already know, I moved here from Tampa, Florida.  I have always maintained that a hurricane was the lessor of two evils because at least you have sufficient warning to evacuate.  With a tornado, even if the sirens go off you may only have a few seconds to react.  That thought scares me to death.

I have seen  the pictures on the news and it has been the topic of most conversations for a while. I just thought I wanted to see the area for myself. It had been more than 3 months since the tornado and it was still very apparent where the damage was. I don't know what I thought I was going to see but I was not at all prepared for what I saw. There are simply NO WORDS.  There is just one wide strip of land that is just gone.  As I was driving down the street in disbelief, I saw a house that was missing pieces of the side of it but was just on the outer skirts of escaping total destruction and it had been spray painted with the words "God Bless Joplin."  I can't describe in words how moving that was. My heart breaks for the people of Joplin.  I can't imagine what they must be going through, even today, almost 4 months later.

My niece who is only 3 years old rode home with me on this trip.  Her parents went on a float trip and I figured she would have more fun with me anyway. :) I didn't even for a minute, think about how seeing all of this would affect her.  While we were driving through the affected area which seemed to go on FOREVER, she kept saying "broken houses" ... "Look at all the broken houses!"  My brother called me today and said that she is still telling Mommy and Daddy about all the broken houses she saw last weekend.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition is getting involved in the rebuilding of Joplin beginning October 19th and running through October 26th.  It has been reported that 14 local builders have already signed up to help. They anticipate a need for 4,500 skilled volunteers and approximately 5,000 general able bodies.  I think that it would be an amazing opportunity to give back.  They are going to build 7 homes in 7 days.  What a huge undertaking!  If you are able to help to donate time, money or materials, you can visit http://www.joinextreme.com/Joplin. I plan to be there with my family and hope to see you there as well.

Be a Hero ... Lend a Hand,
Melody

What exactly IS the Farmers Almanac?

So often, after moving here from Florida, I always hear people talking about the "Farmer's Almanac" and the prediction for the winter we are going to have. I never really knew what they were talking about and haven't given it much thought. But after this SCORCHING summer we've had, I decided to google it. I wanted to see what the prediction for winter was from this "famous" Farmers Almanac.

What I found out is that the predictions will not be released until the end of August. HUH? I thought the Farmers Almanac was written LONG ago by some old wise man? Goes to show how much I know. It's written annually by just a normal guy. How does he know what the winter is supposed to be like any better than the meteorologists on the local news? And why does everyone give him so much credit? (If you could only see the confused look on my face right now?)

Wikipedia says ... The Farmers’ Almanac publishers are highly secretive about the method used to make its predictions, only stating publicly that it is a "top secret mathematical and astronomical formula, that relies on sunspot activity, tidal action, planetary position and many other factors." They also said that independent studies have shown that their predictions are no more accurate than just chance.

I guess we will re-visit this again in a couple of weeks and see what the prediction is but let's hope that after the ridiculously hot summer we have had, that we will be blessed with a long and beautiful fall and a very mild winter. One can dream right?

Until next time,

Melody :)