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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Saturday Night In The Basement

Well, Saturday morning was an exciting and interesting adventure for Bunny and me.  Saturday night turned out to be an adventure for all of us.  It was the sort of adventure that we've come to be used to, but not the way we really planned on spending our Saturday night.

Around eight o'clock, we started getting interruptions in the television show we were watching about a storm that was approaching from the west.  This is a pretty common occurance, but one that we usually disregard and hope that we can get back to the show as quickly as possible.  However, we started getting more and more interruptions and soon realized that we were not going to find out who made the auditions in America's Got Talent.  As we watched it soon became evident that we were going to have to take cover in the basement.

That seems like a pretty simple thing to do.  However, when you share life with three diva greyhounds, it becomes a military operation.  We always keep a supply of water in the basement, and the dog food is stored there as well.  So, that wasn't an issue.  First, I carried down my laptop, nook, phone and blanket and left them on the couch.  Mr. Taleteller began shuttling three dog beds down as well as three leashes in case the worst case scenario occurred and we had to drag the girls into the coal shower with us.   We also brought down the weather radio and turned on the television so we could keep track of what was going on.

So, after seeing to creature comforts and basic necessities, it was time to bring the girls down and settle in to ride out the storm.  Blueberry has always been good at doing the back basement stairs.  As a puppy, she used to run up and down them for her own amusement until I'd tell her to knock it off.  So, Mr. Taleteller called her first.  Happy as a clam, Blue trotted right down the steps.  Next, he got Lilac.  She often goes to the basement on her own during the summer because it's cool and quiet.  Lately, though, I don't think she has the back end strength to make it back up.  Still, with coaxing, she was making her way down the stairs.  That is, until Blueberry decided to go barreling back up, nearly knocking Lilac and Mr. Taleteller around like bowling pins.  Of course, she turned around at the top and blew past them again on her way back down.  I went up and got a baby gate and handed it to Mr. Taleteller as he got Lilac safely down the stairs.

That left Bunny to come down.  I'll admit, we haven't practiced taking her down those steps a lot.  We usually do some practice with them on those steps for just such an occasion, but last year was a very mild storm season and we never had need for it, so it was just a bit forgotten.  I tried cajoling the little princess to at least come to the top of the steps, but she was more than a little leary of the whole idea.  The tornado sirens were going off and we'd sprung into action.  She knew something was up.  In true dog fashion, she put on the brakes of cooperation when it was really necessary, too.  I finally gave up on trying to lure her down of her own volition and just picked her up and carried her down to the basement with me.  Thank heaven that she's the tiny fifty pound one, even though she was a bit outraged that I took her down there against her will. 

After we all got to the basement, the girls took their time sniffing about and my husband and I settled in to keep track of the weather and watch it blow past.  Hearing that tornados had taken off the roof of a movie theatre in a town across the river and that people were being evacuated there due to a propane leak didn't really help to alleviate our concerns.   Sure enough, soon after we all got settled in, the electricity went out.  We lit the kerosene lamp and were thankful for battery operated radios.

The storm blustered past us in a short amount of time.  We were actually not hit too badly at all.  We stayed in the basement until after 11:00 to be sure there were no surprise storms popping up and then made our way back up the stairs.  This time, Lilac was the one carried, but she didn't seem to mind it.  She looked more like she expected it.  More and more, she seems to believe that Mr. Taleteller is her personal servant.  I'm surprised she didn't make us carry her up on a golden dias, but it's probably only because it didn't occur to her.

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11 comments:

  1. Glad to hear that you didn't have any damage. We have the same problem getting the dogs into the basement. Jack can do it easily and jumps down 3-4 steps at a time. Scout, well, she's another story. I've been working with her, but it's just easier to take her outside and into the basement that way. She's 85 pounds, so I can't carry her. Yes, she is a big girl. I wanted a petite girl and I ended up with a girl who is as big as the boys. LOL

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  2. Give it time - she'll think of that dias!

    After moving north many years ago, it's easy to forget how scary the weather in other parts of the country can be . Glad you all escaped unscathed!

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  3. Whew! What a Most Exciting Saturday night! I am very much happy that nothing got torn up near you. My mom grew up in Oak-luh-home-ah (otherwise known as the Natural Disaster State, she says) and so she knows all about those tornado things. Glad you had a safe place to be (even though Bunny wasn't too sure about the whole thing) and that Queen Lilac was able to exit the basement in a manner appropriate to her social standing.

    Wiggles & Wags,
    Mayzie

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  4. Whew...glad you all came out ok. We end up down in the basement often enough this time of year as well. Seems we just never know when something like this will happen.

    Hearing about how you got your hounds down there so reminded me of years back when we had 9 to get down there. Aw my gosh.... The old ones were carried, the ones who'd been down there going up and down....chaos ensued. BUT we got it done safetly yep and God's gift to multiple greyhound moms, the baby gate. I use them to 'direct traffic flow' around here and have several of them to bring out when needed. And then the supplies, in the spring and summer we just kept things down there so we wouldn't have to carry anything but the hounds.

    Might as well stay prepared, going to the basement a few times during this time of year is just a fact of life. Hopefully we come out of it just fine each time. Glad everything turned out well for you, hope no one else got badly hurt!

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  5. It must've been pretty scary, I could imagine!

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  6. Glad everyone is okay. I love how you tell us the stories. You make us see the humor in things and I for one appreciate it.
    Twinkie

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  7. Good for Lilac.....she is such a beautiful diva in her pictures (with a beautiful name), I am glad she has assumed the diva personality too!

    ((Hugs)) MinnaK

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  8. I tried to post about this to you the other day, but Blogger wasn't letting me post! Seems as if there was a problem in some areas and I just happened to be in one. I was watching WGN news Saturday night when they started talking about the tornado in Streater. I knew you guys were out in that neck of the woods somewhere and was hoping you were all okay. Glad it passed you without incident, other than a little greyhound toting! Maybe Blueberry needs to give some lessons! Heeee!

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  9. oh my goodness! i am so glad ya'll are okie dokie. those storms are way scary.
    *woof*
    the booker man

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  10. Hi Bunny, Blueberry, Hawk and Lilac

    It's nice to meet you! Thank you so much for the nice comments on our blog! Your prayers and healing thoughts mean the world to us!

    Lots of slobber,
    Droopy and Callie

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  11. Glad everyone is okay! And, are you saying Mr. Taleteller is NOT Lilac's personal servant?

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