Friday Five: Weather Edition

Here's the Five from the revgals --

Here in the UK we are struggling with floods, other parts of the world have similar problems without the infrastructure to cope with it, still others are badly affected by drought.... My son Jon is in Melbourne Australia where apparently it has been snowing ( yes it is winter but still!).... With crazy weather in mind I bring you this week's Friday 5...

1. Have you experienced living through an extreme weather event- what was it and how did you cope?

The (happy happy) day we moved from SE Kansas back to Arkansas, a snowstorm hit. Now, here was the pre-storm moving plan: The moving company had already headed off so the family was caravaning in our three cars: Dad with my littlest brother in the lead car; Me, with the cat, in the middle car; Mom with my other little brother in the last car. The idea was that with dad in the front and mom in the back I shouldn't get lost as we caravaned from Chanute to Tulsa, our stop that night, and then on to Arkansas (ah, home!) the next day.

As I think about this, I don't know why we didn't wait until after the storm to leave. Maybe because we were all so anxious to get out of that town. Anyway, we didn't stay. We left in the middle of the storm.

I was 16. I had been driving all of about 6 months. I hadn't really driven much farther than the next town. And needless to say...I had never, ever driven in snow. I'm not sure I'd even seen so much snow.

Mom and Dad said, just follow your dad. We're stopping in Tulsa, meeting at the Captain D's at Exit XX (we had been there before on vacation, so I was at least familiar). Just stay on this highway, it goes all the way there. Off we went.

We got out of town, got on the highway...and dad took off. I'm sure he didn't mean to...but I lost him. Maybe I was too slow on the snow but I never saw him again that night. And, I don't know how this happened either, but I lost my mom. So I was on the snowy road, alone, with our cat in the backseat unhappy about being in a carrier, and South Pacific in the tape player as an attempt to keep calm.

I was scared but mostly it was ok. I crossed into Oklahoma. At some point I outran the storm and the highway became clear. But then it got dark. And then, the highway did something screwy in a little town and I didn't know which way to go. So I had to stop at a rather sketchy-looking convenience store -- in my memory it's more like a liquor store, and there were only men there -- and ask for directions. Imagine, a 16-year old girl, lost, asking for directions? Yikes.

Well, reader, I made it to Tulsa. I don't know how. Both dad AND mom were there already and I think they were scared. But I made it. The next morning we got up to head to Arkansas. It was rainy but that seemed like nothing after the day before! I enjoyed the trip all the way.

Of course, we never let Daddy forget this little incident.

But the truth is, I've loved road trips ever since.

2. How important is it that we wake up to issues such as global warming?

Vastly, vastly important.

3. The Christian message needs to include stewardship of the earths resources agree/ disagree?

Absolutely agree.

And because it is summer- on a brighter note....

4. What is your favourite season and why?
I'm rather fond of fall, actually, with the turning colors, a relieving break from the heat, baseball pennant races and playoffs, college football kicking up...

Spring, at the peak of daffodils blooming, is also quite lovely.

5. Describe your perfect vacation weather....

Sunny, breezy, just warm enough for shirtsleeves, just cool enough that you can hike all day without worrying about collapsing from the heat.