Auntie Em! Auntie Em!

I was just sitting here, minding my own business - which is to say working on editing - when all of a sudden I heard a sound like nothing I've ever heard before.  Seriously.  I mean, it sounded like the air conditioner kicked on, but pushing like a million BTUs.  I peeked through the blinds and I could hardly see the house across the street through all the dirt and debris.  I said 'Shit, Husband, I think it's a tornado."  (In retrospect, not my most awesome piece of verbiage, but there wasn't time for eloquence.)

He ran to the window and I ran for Daughter.  After shouting for her to get her butt into the storm room - NOW - I ran back into the living room in time to hear a huge bang - like a transformer blowing, but the power stayed on.

As suddenly as the wind blew in, it blew right back out.  Husband and I went outside to survey the damage.  Poor Max was curled up against the door, covered in dirt.  I made sure he was okay while Husband went forth to see what he could see.  Branches of every size were all over the place.  Down the road an SUV was stopped in the middle of the street and nearby a huge limb was across the road.  I was sure the limb hit her car and that's why she was stopped.  Then I saw the downed power lines.  While Husband checked to make sure she was okay and see what he could do, I directed traffic.  (And yelled at a little boy who rode his bike right under the damn live wires.)  She called the police, Husband called the electric department and within minutes, cops came to replace my traffic directing awesomeness.

Houses down the way are still without power.  Turns out the bang I heard was probably the power pole snapping off and the subsequent transformer blowout or something like that.  I don't know if it was a tornado or some kind of microburst, windshear, the Wicked Witch of the West, or the breath of Zeus, but damn, it scared the crap out of me.

All's well here.  Anything exciting happening in your world tonight?  Me?  I was planning on working anyway, and since the cable's out, I guess those plans are pretty firm.  Here's hoping for a quiet rest of the evening.