Monday morning. A holiday for most of us, me included for a change. Karen is off today too, and we will be spending the day quietly (I hope). We'll get some more stuff done around the house and just generally take it easy.

Decoration Day is what it used to be called. When I was a kid, the main thrust of the holiday was to put decorations on the graves of dead people in general, although it started off being just the war dead (from WW I). It seemed to be a duty, and not a pleasure, for those involved. It seems that it stirred up anti-German feelings in those involved, even though we did not have that many war dead in our family.

It was a family get-together time, but not nearly as much fun as the fourth-of-July ones or the reunions. The shining light of decoration day, however, was that it was the harbinger of SUMMER VACATION! Three glorious months of not going to school! Sleeping late (if we wanted to, but we usually didn't) messing around the neighborhood, swimming. But mostly, just no school!

Back to the present: Last night about 20:45, the tornado sirens went off. Upon hearing the sirens, Karen's first reflex is to head for the basement, and mine is to run outside and see the cool clouds.

In order to set this up properly, you have to know some history, and even some of the local politics. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is.

History: June 6, 1966. The biggest tornado in the known world came roaring over Burnett's mound (known for preventing such things from happening, according to indian legend) and messed up Topeka pretty badly. There were seventeen deaths associated with the tornado, and it ripped a half-mile wide swath through the city from the southwest to the northeast corners. Millions of dollars worth of damage, many people homeless. For more on my take of the tornado, see 1966 Tornado Needless to say, there are still many people around who are very... goosey, let's say, about tornadoes.

To put things into context, I really get off on storms.

Actually, neurotic would be a better description. They simply go nuts when there is a tornado watch (meaning that conditions are right for a tornado to form, but none have been spotted), and you don't want to get in between them and the basement door when the sirens go off.

Politics: I don't understand this part, so it's really hard to explain. Some way or another, the guy who has his finger on the tornado siren button is not associated with the weather bureau. Or, as far as I can tell, with anyone else. Maybe the county has tornado-spotters that he relies on. I don't know. Last night when the sirens went off, there was an indication on the radar that there might be a potential tornado 25 miles west of here. I think that the guy with the finger on the button is one of those traumatized by the '66 tornado. The local TV stations disavow any connection with the sirens going off, even to the point of saying, "geez, I don't know why those sirens went off!"

My first reflex when the sirens go off, then, is to assess the weather. I do it the old-fashioned way, I look at the clouds, count the number of lightning strikes, time them to see how far away the storm is, observe the wind speed and direction, and I tune the TV to a local station with radar. To put things into context, I really get off on storms. There has not been a tornado strike Topeka since '88, when a tiny one did some roof damage to some houses and business buildings, and the sirens did not even go off on that one.

Karen, of course, thinks that I'm a fool, standing out in the weather watching for signs of a storm. The problem is, I have seen so many false alarms that I am disinclined to believe the sirens anymore. And then I am reminded of my dad staying outside watching the storms in Oklahoma while mom and us kids were safe hiding in the cellar. There were no sirens in Kremlin, Ok. in 1952...

On a more serious note, Karen got a call from Deb in Wichita this morning, her father has taken a turn for the worse(?) and the end seems eminent. Karen and Kim will go down there about noon and stay for a couple of days, or until it's all over. Packy will probably go with them, and I will have Lacee until Steve gets off of work at 17:00. So much for the quiet day at home and getting stuff done, huh!

I have put in to join another ring; this one will be called OFTEN and will be comprised of journals that update at least 20 times a month with entries greater than 200 words. I think that I probably qualify for this one OK. My pedestrian writing won't hamper me... and I will be in very good company!