I don't know what's about to happen outside this Burger King where I sit early on this Sunday morning. But something rather dramatic, weather wise-, is about to happen. The sky is MUCH darker than when I arrived here a bit before 6:00 a.m. (Jet lag has got me pretty bad right now.) Something's "fixin' to" happen out there and I think this is as good a place as any to ride out this storm. (Senior coffee is only 35 cents here if you bring your own cup, which of course I do! I am my father's daughter, doncha know!)
I know I must sound a bit melodramatic here, but hey, it just got so dark, the Burger King's automatic nighttime lights just went on. There's an air of excitement building here among the early morning staff (5 people) and the early-bird customer (which is ME!)
This spate of really weird weather has broken records as far as weather history is concerned. First there was the sizzling-hot weather that was going on when I first arrived. It made Penang look balmy and temperate by comparison and broke long-standing records. Then, a couple of nights ago there was a middle-of-the-night storm that caused record-breaking flooding in parts of Chicago. The flooding happened while people were sleeping and the water came up so suddenly, people woke up from their night's sleep and stepped out of bed into ankle-deep water in their bedrooms. One lady on TV said she thought she was dreaming when she woke up and saw her son's pants floating past her bed.
You have to feel sorry for the Kane County Fair folks and their livestock. The fairgrounds are just a stone's throw from where I sit now. Those poor folks have had nothing but weird, bad weather to contend with since it opened on Friday. (It's Sunday morning now.) They're all sloshing around in mud wearing boots, trying to take care of their animals and keep them clean, happy and show-worthy. My Mom and I used to do flower arranging for the fair, so I remember very well that getting things set up even in perfectly fine weather was a challenge, but in this weather, it would be no fun at all.
By the way, wthm no modesty whatsoever, let me add that Mom and I used to just clean up in the prize department of the Flower Arrangement Division of the Kane County Fair. We got a little bit of prize money for a win, but we did it for the joy of it, and so we could triumphantly count our blue, red and yellow ribbons afterward. What fun that was! Great childhood memories of working together with my sweet mom.
Anyway, back to weather . . . I worry about these sudden storms because the Aged Parental Units (now almost 94 and 91years old) have lots of very big, ancient trees all around the house. One, in particular, is rotten inside and is just looking to keel over onto the roof. Dad looked into having it taken down, but it was going to cost well over US $1,000, which was about double what you'd expect. (Well, what WE'D expect, anyway!) But I keep telling Dad it would cost a lot more to repair the roof after this tree crashes down into it. So, like everything else, they'll probably get it cut down just after I've left, so I'll miss all the excitement. And you have to admit, it'd be exciting to see them cut down a tree of that size and age. I love watching mechanical stuff like that and especially structure demolishment. Building, not so much. . . .but taking stuff down, that I love! Do you think it's some expressed desire hidden in me to destroy things?
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