Whether the Weather . . .

Isn't there some silly rhyme that starts off this way? I have a slight memory of something, but I can't quite pull it to the surface. Anyway, it's nearly seven in the evening, and our area is under a severe thunderstorm warning. As I understand it, the difference between a watch and a warning is that a watch means it might happen, while a warning means it almost certainly will. What's odd about this is that right now, the sky couldn't be clearer. It's bright blue with just a few puffy clouds; it doesn't look threatening at all. But as I said, that's now. Coastal weather is so strange. In five minutes the sky could be black as night, or even worse, greenish-gray. The latter often prefaces a tornado.

Usually I love Florida weather -- the fast moving systems are always interesting -- but today I've been making an effort to stay inside. Our actual temperature was forecast to be 97, with a heat index of 108. Nobody needs to be out in that, and yet my pets are enjoying the heat on the porch. They can have it! I like hot, but that's excessive. My sinus infection is clearing up nicely, but I don't think being out in the heat would do me any good. Of course, it's not like I've had loads of spare time to be hanging around outside even if I wanted to. I've been grading papers and posting assignments before and after nine-hour scoring shifts, and I'm working a half-day tomorrow. I didn't put in availability for Sunday; I'll have a chance to catch up on my class work and start emptying my cabinets. One of the best things about working so much is that when I finally stop -- which this time will be for my son's graduation and more than a week of family time -- I will feel like I've earned some time off.

It's been about ten minutes since I came inside and started writing, and in just that amount of time the thunder has come closer and the sky is graying up. I'm going to run outside again briefly (okay, I'm not running anywhere!) and make sure everything is secure. One of the biggest dangers with the storms is wind-driven debris; with the repairs I'm already doing on my house, I don't need to add broken windows to the list. I know the weather is bad across the country in a variety of ways. Wherever you are out there, stay safe.