posted
Ahh, Lightning!!, I like to sit back and enjoy the light show, and be thankful for it!!Lightning forces nitrogen and oxygen to combine with the water of the rain and carries the nitrogen down into the soil. This causes natural nitrogen fertilizer which is used by plants. big lightning storm may provide as much as 3 pounds of nitrogen per acre. I Do; however, UNPLUG my Modem during a lightning storm!!ever SEE a modem SMOKED from a lightning strike?? I have
Seeded: 170.215.46.64
My parents used to watch the storms roll up the valley, and we'd sit there in amazement!!! We had a upstairs living room and a porch off of that, depending on the storm, where we'd sit. It was electricfying!
And now when we have storms here in town at our house, we get the kids a blanket or coats and we get our chairs *plastic mind you!!!* and sit out on the porch and watch the storm... The boys oooh and ahhh over it, which way it's traveling, and my husband has taught them to count it to see how far off it is or if it's over head. I get the hot cocoa out and it's just a nice memory I hope they'll have to come..
I saw so many mother's who were soooooooooooo afraid of lightening they've pasted it on to their children. And I always wanted to pass it on of the grandure of it... Mind you, I"m not a total dunce, I do respect it tremedously!!! I'm not dancing in the middle of the back yard with a metal pole in my hand, but I truely find the wonderment in it!!!
My mother had a friend who would NOT talk on the phone, first crack of lightening, she'd say, gotta go, bye! click! And she wouldn't take a bath or run water either!!
Weezie
[ 03-13-2004, 03:23 AM: Message edited by: Bill ]
* * * * Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
posted
I haven't seen a lightning smoked modem but I have seen a vaporized power strip, exploded antenna rotor control box and motor, scorched stainless steel outlet cover, and fried electrical wiring. About a foot and a half of our cable wire was vaporized. And the lightning didn't even hit our house! It struck the neighbors tree, travelled through the ground, and up into our wiring. If our lines hadn't been properly grounded we would have had less damage. The bolt even traveled through a birdhouse hanging on the tree and killed a nestful of baby starlings.
Even with all that, I love watching a good lightning storm as long as it is faaaar away. When I lived in farm country we would sit on the porch watching the lightning storms until they got close and Grandma chased us all inside.
Plants: 20 | From: Ohio | Registered: Jan 2004
| Seeded: 24.93.107.20
posted
I do love watching a good lightning show. It's wide open to our west, so we can see them coming. We'd turn the truck around to face west and sit inside and watch it pass over. I'd still like to find a set of speakers that can put out bass notes like thunder does. Although we haven't been struck or had any close calls here, I do recall a day years back when I worked at a sawmill, and the power line that fed it was hit. There were 2 of us outside working the chain where finished lumber was stacked. We didn't even see the storm coming in. Our first indication of the storms arrival was suddenly feeling all the hair on the back of our necks stand up. Less than 2 seconds later, the power line, which we worked under was hit. The 2 of us weren't touched, but half the people in the building were knocked flat. Blown fuses and fried motors everywhere. It was an all electric mill. It's an experience I'll remember. We still watch the storms, just not from an exposed position. Rick
Plants: 107 | From: Northern lower Michigan | Registered: Jan 2003
| Seeded: 204.38.225.127
posted
Be careful about watching those storms from the porch. Just because your head is covered it doesn`t mean you are safe.
I sure agree with not burdening your children with your own fears. Mom did that for me, she is afraid of lightening but I love it. She always talked about how beautiful it was.
Our garden club president was hit by lightening last summer. She has had a horrible time with pain and the after effects. Her memory is still not it was before the strike.
Dad was standing a few feet awat from a strike and it traveled up a club he was holding and knocked him flat and out. He had a huge headache for days.
* * * * Plants: 679 | From: IN | Registered: Dec 2003
| Seeded: 67.29.219.46
posted
I wish their could be lighting in the winter it's great! I've become fiarly sensitive to the weather and when a lighting storms coming I can deffinitly feel my hair move! I've never had any expirience with lightning striking but the first time I felt that I was pretty scared. Their's someone in a neighbouring town that got hit twice by lighting!
* * * * The answers will come when needed. Otherwise, I'm guesing time will make me feel silly. Plants: 387 | From: canada | Registered: Feb 2004
| Seeded: 207.176.160.48
posted
Apples, You can get thunder and lightning in the winter. You never heard of thundersnow? I've seen it twice, both times here. Once was earlier this winter, during a nasty snowstorm. The other time was many years ago. I was walking thru an open field on the way to work. With everything being white, it's blinding. Scared the heck out of me. At that time, I didn't know such a thing was even possible. It doesn't happen often, but it's awesome when it does. Trouble is the weather that comes with it really stinks. Rick
Plants: 107 | From: Northern lower Michigan | Registered: Jan 2003
| Seeded: 204.38.224.102
posted
Thunder-snow would certainly make the snowstorm out my window at the moment more interesting. This past weekend, I was excited about the warm weather and started lots of vegetable and annual seeds. Lucky they're safely down in my cellar. The prediction is for 7-10 inches here near Boston. TONY
* * * * Tony from Massachusetts Plants: 43 | From: Massachusetts | Registered: Feb 2004
| Seeded: 64.12.96.73
posted
I'm posting this observation here because "Nature Stuff" seems like the proper title, but it doesn't have anything to do with lightning. It has to do with squirrels, those lovely little creatures that dig up my flowers bulbs, attack my bird feeders, and go thump on my roof in their never-ending quest to get in my attic. Has anyone else noticed a lot more black squirrels around this year? In the past, I would see a black squirrel maybe once every other year or so. But so far this spring, I've seen at least three different ones in various neighborhoods around town. I live just outside of Boston and am curious to know if this is just a local thing. If anyone would notice stuff like this, it would have to be gardeners. Tony.
* * * * Tony from Massachusetts Plants: 43 | From: Massachusetts | Registered: Feb 2004
| Seeded: 152.163.252.161
Years ago, I took my Mom back to Chillicothe, Ohio, for her 50th high school reunion. It was in July, hot weather; beautiful.
We arrived two days before the reunion, so I got a chance to spend a whole day lounging at the hotel pool with a good book before helping get Mom gussied-up for the event.
It sorta clouded over that July day....I looked up from my book to the west and saw BIG, flat-bottomed clouds 'way off in the distance... just prior to hearing a long, low rumble. OOOH, OOOH, thunder... Love it! I watched those clouds come closer at a pretty fast clip...the rumbling becoming more frequent....wind starting to blow a bit....Gosh, I grew up in Calif...this was soooo fascinating....watching a Summer storm approach..Lightening in the distance hitting the ground.....Wooo.
Breaking my train of thought was this incessant tapping .. TAPPING
I looked behind me, and there was my Mom...inside her room, tapping on the sliding door and gesturing frantically with her hand for me to GET INSIDE!
What had escaped my notice was:
1. The 50 or so people who had been in and around the pool were gone. I was alone.
2. Both the table and the umbrella under which I was reading my book were made of metal.
3. The storm had picked up speed and was coming toward the hotel at an alarming rate.
I was younger then, and could move PRETTY fast...
out the gate and up the stairs to my room...opening my curtains to look out... just as the lightening hit the wrought-iron fence around the pool... BANG!, BANG! BANG!....deafening!!! ....and arc to the umbrella under which I'd been sitting.
Did I have to listen to my MOTHER for the next hour or so about the potential consequences of my folly????? Bet-chur-bootie
The end
* * * * Plants: 1985 | From: Ugh...Van Nuys, CA | Registered: Nov 2003
| Seeded: 67.123.43.141
Phil and Laura
guest
posted
Excellent story Jillie, I bet Ma did give you the ole' I told YOU SO ! Hey , We have black squirrels here too! even an occasional WHITE one, but mostly red and gray!
Seeded: 170.215.46.91
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big lightning storm may provide as much as 3 pounds of nitrogen per acre. I Do; however, UNPLUG my Modem during a lightning storm!!ever SEE a modem SMOKED from a lightning strike?? I have ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
I ![[Cool]](cool.gif)
LOVE ![[Love]](graemlins/love.gif)
lightning!!!
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Love it! I watched those clouds come closer at a pretty fast clip...the rumbling becoming more frequent....wind starting to blow a bit....Gosh, I grew up in Calif...this was soooo fascinating....watching a Summer storm approach..Lightening in the distance hitting the ground.....Wooo.![[dunno]](graemlins/dunno.gif)
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