Finding a bit of humor in the madness

This very funny guy I work with came in this morning and said "Oh I wish I had a camera last night". Of course baiting me with that line how can I resist as to ask why. Well I realize there is no humor in yet another tornado siren going off around here but he goes on to tell me the sirens went off at his house last night. So his wife (who is in her 60's) is sitting in the bathtub with a bicylce helmet on her head, a yoga mat over the helmet, her excercise clothes still on. She is holding her Shitzu in one arm and a Yorky in the other. That I would have paid $5.00 to see. So I ask him "Where were you?" And he says "Oh I was sitting on the toilet next to her with my bicyle helmet on holding a damn cat." Okay so now I would have paid $10.00 to see that. I have to thank him for a chuckle. There has not been much to laugh at this week.

More sadness

I learned today that a very sweet soul passed away in the tornado. His name was Randy Mell. He worked at our local courthouse for 19 years. He was a very hard working conscientious guy who would do anything for you. He was a loner of sorts, very shy and stuttered a bit which made him all the more endearing if you ask me. He was gentle, quiet and always helpful. I met Randy because I used to wait on him in my tearoom five days a week. Every single day for close to five years he came in and sat at the same table. Pretty much ordered the exact same thing everyday although he would read the menu from top to bottom for a good five minutes before ordering. The menu was the same menu but he would still insist on a menu. I even complained about this a couple times because I would want to get his order in and he would still be reading the menu. I was told to "Get over it" by my mom. It took a long time before I could him to speak to me. My mom would go over to him and talk to him and try to get him to talk a bit. He was never much of a talker. He supported us for five years and now I support him.
And of all things, Randy was a huge patron of the local arts. He went to every and I mean every High School Play in the area or any local theater for that matter. He went to most of the sports games as well. You name it locally, the man supported it. He would always go by himself and I doubt Randy had ever gone on a date in his life.
I tell you about Randy because he was one that people would probably ignore or automatically think was strange. He was probably considered one of the invisibles. I believe this because when he came up missing, the Commissioners of this town did not even bother to find out what had happened to him. I think in this life one person should say they were glad to know  Randy even if not well. I doubt anyone knew him well but he will be missed in the theater arts community even though they don't even know it. Fly high Randy!!

Tears for Joplin Missouri

It is crazy to shop in Joplin on Saturday and the places you shopped are gone on Sunday. I don't know what to say but to wonder if my co-workers who live there are okay. I watch TV and see pieces of familiar places but I have trouble figuring out what I am looking at. When I heard the Payless Shoe store was obliterated I knew so was my dentist office since it was a whole 20 feet from there. Oddly enough on Saturday when we drove down the streets that no longer exist. My mom said there is your dentists office. Who knew that would not be the case on Sunday. This morning my moms yard has pieces of house insulation on her lawn. We are about 20 miles away.
I live in the sleepy neighboring town where most drive daily to work in Joplin. Lucky for one of my co-workers, she moved from Joplin to Carthage on Saturday. Her father and brother drove down from Kansas City to help her move complaining all the way. The place where she lived on Saturday no longer is there. I bet her father and brother never complain about helping her move again.
A few days ago I watched in disbelief as Alabama took such a horrible hit and now I watch in disbelief as Joplin looks much the same. And when I saw the weather man Mike Bettis loose it last night as he reported on the devastation the sick feeling became very real. I imagine when I get over there in a couple weeks and see the places I used to shop it won't seem real at all. This is the main shopping for my area. I feel horrible about the economic disaster that is going to hit this area. When we see these devastation's on TV we always say the same thing. Where do you start??

I went out and took these pics about 15 minutes before Joplin was struck. I was at my parents house and my dad said we needed to come out and get some pictures of these clouds. As we looked up in disbelief my dad said Usually when you see clouds like this, it is not good. Boy was he right.