Why?

Why the insomnia you ask? Let me tell you. At least you'll get a good laugh. It's funny, I know.

I have a bit of a fear. I've had this fear as long as I can remember. The fear is...

...

Can I really tell all of the internets? Am I ready to be ridiculed?

Ok. It's weather related.

I know, I know. Lots of people are afraid of thunder & lightening - but that's not it. I mean, I wouldn't want to be caught in the middle of a field during a storm but snug in my house, I'm good.

Tornados? Yes but I live somewhere where they are very rare. This is honestly one reason I don't live in the south. Or Midwest. Although, I'm not sure I would live in the Midwest anyway. It's nice and all but too far from the ocean.

Earthquakes? Yes. But again. Not much going on here. A little, itty-bitty one every few years. Never even felt them. So, not what kept me up last night.

And my God! Don't I have a lot of weather related fears. Who knew? Who realized? Not me.

The one fear I do have to deal with about once or twice a year is...

The wind. Commence laughing.

Are you feeling better yet? Calmed down? Ok. Last night we had winds in the 60-70 mph range and it scared the crap (but apparently not the snot) out of me. I woke at 3:30 a.m. to the sound of the wind trying to push through my home. The house shook. The bed shook. The giant pine that is taller than the church next door and is right next to the house, shook. A lot.

I was wide awake instantly. I then proceeded to let the dog out. Yes, even he was not happy with the wind. I ran outside and brought in as many things as possible. Yes, I knew this was coming yesterday. But? I think I was in denial. I was hoping the front would miss us. Really. I was banking on it.

So, after a half hour of pulling things off porches and pushing other things against walls so they wouldn't become projectiles I went back to bed. But the sound. And the shaking. I COULD. NOT. SLEEP.

So I got on here and stayed busy until around 5:30 when I started to get sleepy again. Went to bed and the exhaustion won.

An hour later I woke to the alarm and the wind and the shaking. I turned on the news because, Good God we can not send our children out in this. I found all the schools to the west were closed. I waited and waited and finally got up 10 minutes before the bus was to arrive. I went downstairs, flipped on the TV (why are they always on the letter AFTER your school when you turn the TV on?), and did my usual schtick of "Put this note in your bag." "Why are you not dressed?" "Eat already!" "The bus will be here in 5 minutes!" And then? Our school showed up on the closed list. YaY! Yes, an extra day of vacation. BUT! I want my children alive right now and the wind - it is scaring me. If this was 2 Mondays from now I might feel different but right now I fear for their safety.

I flipped off the TV and... the power went out. I told the kids to BE QUIET AND NOT WAKE THEIR BROTHERS and went back to bed.

Apparently, high winds during the day will not keep me from sleeping but at 4 a.m. they will.

Around 11 my saint of a mother came and picked the boys up so I could sleep and they could have heat. The power came on just as she arrived. So now I have heat too. YAY! And she took them anyway! YAY, YAY!

Now the winds are in the 20-30 mph range and I am much more calm. And yes, when I was a child I was afraid the wind would blow me away. Where to? No idea. But the thought of being carried off by the wind was terrifying.

So now you know my deep, dark secret. Keep it well peoples of the internet.