Tornados and a mouse

What a day here! I did manage to sleep better last night and the arm is getting better too. I woke to rain, not a new concept around here this summer! I lounged in bed for a good, long while and then got up and got the girls in gear cleaning their rooms. After that, we went to have lunch and then to get their hair cut and get gas in the van. I wanted to go inside Costco after getting gas, but I felt the stronger urge to head on home. Glad I did! When we got home, Lindsay was outside playing in the drizzle so I told the girls they could go too. But then I turned the tv on inside and there were bad, bad storms headed right for us! Got them inside and Lindsay went on home.

A tornado hit the EXACT area the girls and I had just been in not 45 minutes earlier! Had I stayed and gone in to browse Costco, we'd have been in the nasty weather! WHEW! Of course that same storm headed right for us, but was not as bad. The girls and I had blankets and pillows in the laundry room in case we needed them...they were a bit upset and tearful scared. Dave got home right after the worst passed. As the storm got closer, I knew we'd be fine, I had the tv on.

The tornado apparently touched down on the ball fields at Bellevue (tossed bleachers and bent signs over for handicapped parking), then hit the Toyota dealer next and then the Kohl's. An entire corner and a huge section of the front of the store is just gone! All the cars in the parking lot had windows blown apart and were moved all over and dented. A bank near Germantown rd. had the entire front glass blown out, awnings were upturned strangely in the strip mall right there too. It then crossed the street and hit the gas station and Shogun restaurant before doing some tree damage in the neighborhood behind that. Light poles were broken off, street signs twisted, trees uprooted, just a mess from what we've seen on TV. Not total devastation by any means, but still not something that happens a lot at all here! Just eerie that I had just been in the area. No one was hurt, thankfully.

Here at home we got a nasty storm, and mostly just a LOT of rain. Maybe up to 4 inches this afternoon/eve alone. The ground is so darn wet from what's got to be the wettest summer EVER here. It has also been very cool too! I am happy to not have been above 90 degrees much at all this month.

Naturally, this threw a curve ball into dinner plans, so we had a late dinner. I am HAPPY and astonished to report that Libbi ate and LIKED Jumbalaya. I made the Zatarans and simply added shredded chicken to it. The girl who refuses to try much of anything DID!

Now to the mouse part.....Dave and I were sitting in here and heard a noise in the kitchen. Actually Shakespheare had been all snuggled up to me dead to the world asleep on the couch. Lately in the evening he has been ignoring us and not even sleeping with us, which is not normal! Last night I found him in the kitchen staring at the corner of our cabinets on the floor. Picked him up, brought him in to bed with me and he would not stay and went back to the kitchen and assumed his staring spot. Well, tonight we heard some sounds and Dave went to inspect, with the cat still staring after he jumped down from the couch with me, and found mouse turds. EWWWWW. How gross. He has had traps in the garage and been successful in catching them. Not surprising with the woods behind our house. BUT, never had we noticed one inside. He got a trap and set it up in the cabinet. The thing is still alive in there...I checked once and can hear it every so often. I checked all the other cabinets too to be sure there weren't friends lurking...seems to be good so far. Shakespheare has assumed a position staring at the corner. No wonder the cat has not slept with me the last few nights and why he has been so darn TIRED that when he is out on the couch he is out like a light, drooling kind of sleep.

So, here' to hoping the tornado damage is all repaired soon AND the mouse vacates our house DEAD VERY soon....

Oh, and just one more day of summer break for me. Girls and I are starting to drive each other bonkers so it really is for the best! The rain and being stuck inside has not helped them at all. Tomorrow we are going to maybe go to my school and start to set some things up in my room. I can sure use their help and they can use the distraction to stay off each other's nerves...MAYBE!