Stormy Weather

I slept fitfully last night. Before going to bed, we'd watched the local weatherman pointing to an approaching cold front and jabbering like a spider monkey cranked up on speed and Red Bull energy drinks.
It sounded like we'd be paying dearly for the warm weather the last few days. 
He said the front would cross the state line from Mississippi around 3 a.m.
I didn't set the clock, because I knew I wouldn't have to. About 2:55 a.m. my eyes opened and I slid out of bed. I walked to the deck to get an analog weather report. These reports don't need radar, infrared satellite images, or computer analysis. 
It involves stepping outside, looking up at the sky and listening to the wind in the pines.

Stormy Weather, shot back in the summer

Even though the front was a few hours away, you could hear high-level winds roaring like the Indi 500 race in the clouds.
I could hear the wind chimes on the deck and from the side porch tinkling non-stop. Even the large chimes that weigh as much as a Buick, were banging like gongs.
A visual inspection of the horizon showed no lightening, and I could hear no thunder in the distance. All I could hear was the angry wind. I thought to myself, I would hate to be flying over Alabama tonight.
I tentatively slipped back inside and back into bed.
About 5:30 our house phone, and both our cell phones started ringing, with incoming calls and texts. 
After the devastating outbreak in 2011, I signed up for a weather alert system that notifies us whenever there's a tornado warning in our zipcode.
I went back out to the deck, and not only was the wind still howling, but lightening flashed on the horizon.
When I looked at the weather on TV, the approaching storms looked bad, but nothing like they they do in the springtime. I punched the brew button on the coffeemaker, pulled out a deck chair and listened to the wind. 
As it turns out, the bad part of the storm went north and east of us. Tennessee and Georgia weren't so lucky, as people in both states died as a result of the storms.
If there's one thing I've learned living in the south, it's that you respect Mother Nature, and you ALWAYS sleep lightly during stormy weather.