Thursday, August 1, 2013

Lightning Strikes/GOOD VIBRATIONS

Now, I must tell you... the evening before our son's concert, we had a terrific thunderstorm. It came on quite suddenly as I was cooking dinner. Here is a piece of advice for you: DO NOT stand at a metal stove during a thunderstorm, DO NOT open a window during a thunderstorm, DO NOT use metal tongs. Any one of those things might have been okay by itself, but all three combined, meant that I had a bit of a SHOCK when some lightning hit nearby. I am okay but it took a day or so for my right hand to get back to normal. I am hoping that it left me with some special "super" powers, you know, kind of like Spiderman?  I wonder too, could it have left me with some positive energy, and that means I can transmit this to you as I am typing this post?  I think it's possible!  You know, kind of like GOOD VIBRATIONS from the Beach Boys! (Really, I suppose I would have had to survive an earthquake to use that analogy, but hey! I have been hit by a bit of lightning, so cut me some slack, okay?) One of the things that I read was that after being hit by lightning, it could cause some confusion.  HA! How will I know any difference?

I hope you will love this video I found for you of the Beach Boys.  I ADORE the Beach Boys. They are so young and gorgeous in this video.  It's so great to see Brian Wilson having everything just so, he is such a genius, you know.  I have told you before of a book about them but I will tell you again.  It is "The Nearest Faraway Place" by Timothy White.  READ IT!  It is not just about the Beach Boys but also about California and the history of those who settled there and it is a fascinating book.

Our crepe myrtles have been spectacular this year, just beautiful.  They looked really good at my Dad's this past weekend and you know he had to cut some for me to take home, along with some of his sunflowers and an ear of corn in the bouquet.  Hope you are having a colorful summer.  Just don't cook during a thunderstorm! Promise me!
 

 
 

40 comments:

  1. Wow, that is both scary and fascinating. Yes of course you know have some supper power--ah, I mean super power, but then again you were cooking.... :-)

    I a fan of the beach boys too. How we I remember those days of sand and surf and open convertibles :-)

    Kay, there is a movie I know you will love: twenty feet from stardom. Trust me: find it and go as soon as you can

    Love
    kj

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    1. Supper power, let's say that is what it gave me, I am in need of that, I am a lousy cook!
      LOVE the Beach Boys, those harmonies are just incredible!
      I will make a note of that movie "Twenty Feet From Stardom", thanks! xx

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  2. Too many spellcheck typos in the sbove comment: aaaargh!

    :-)

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    1. Why can't we spellcheck our comments? Just one of life's little wonders... Lord knows I NEED it! :-)

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  3. You're not supposed to talk on the telephone during lightning storms either. Apparently every once in a while someone gets zapped through the phone line.

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    1. I knew not to talk on the phone or to be in the bathtub. Those I did know, but I really had never heard not to be next to a metal stove but I know it now!!

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  4. The lightening used to come right in through our phone line and burnt it out several times when I was a kid. That was when it was a direct line-remember those? Love the Beach Boys! Those were wonderful, carefree days of my youth- listening to them and dreaming of the future-xo Diana

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    1. Ah yes, and when we had The Beach Boys, we also had the British Invasion Bands, the great sounds of Motown, music from some great musicals like "The Sound of Music" and "My Fair Lady"...so much in the 60's! There was war and a great amount of strife but as a kid, I mostly remember the music.

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  5. Ouch, Kay, that sounds awful! But if it gives you superpowers maybe it's all worth it....

    I love the Beach Boys too (how could I not, being a California Girl myself?) - and you are so right about Brian Wilson. What a very talented musician and arranger.

    Love your mixed bouquet too. :)

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    1. Yes, I am going to SAY that it left me with a POSITIVE CHARGE and I am going to pass it along! xx

      Ah, but the way that I talk, I knock them out when they are down here! :-)
      If you get a chance to read that book, you will see how difficult Brian Wilson's childhood was...it must have been for all the boys but especially for Brian...
      There was an ear of corn in that bouquet, you just can't see it! :-)

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  6. Ooh, scary! Singapore has the highest rate of lightning activity in the world, so we are sort of aware of what we should and shouldn't do. I think you're even supposed to avoid taking a bath during a storm lol!

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    1. Hey Janice!
      Georgia has one of the highest rates for lightning in the USA and this summer has been really bad for it. I have never been a very good cook, maybe God is telling me I just need to give it up! :-)

      Janice! Did you get my email where I told you that I got your 2nd package? THANK YOU!! We have a new mailman and I don't know what happened to the first package. xx

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  7. What a horrible experience for you, I am glad you are all right. I await to see which superpower develops!
    Your bouquet looks lovely.

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    1. Could I be "LIGHTNING WOMAN" or "ELECTRIC WOMAN"...I am working on my costume now, just trying to decide on a LW or a EW on the front!!! HA

      If there is anything blooming at my Dad's, he almost always sends me home with flowers! xx

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  8. Oh dear, Kay, I am so glad you weren't affected any more than "just" your hand. This must have been quite scary!!
    Last week Saturday, I hosted RJ's birthday party here (my place is much bigger than his). At 1.00 am, when our last guests were just leaving, an almighty thunderstorm broke loose... and we did have all the windows open and kept watching the spectacular "show" of lightning while we were clearing up the party things. Maybe that was rather uncautious of us.

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    1. It could have been much worse. My best friend's parents' house was burnt to the ground by lightning. (They got out and are perfectly fine.) I know someone else who was painting and lightning struck and he lost his arm. I went online and read quite a bit about lightning and one of the things they say, is NOT to open your windows since lightning can come in that way. My Dad thinks that it struck nearby and that it came through the water soaked yard and into my house by metal pipes and that is what shocked me. All I know, I won't be at a metal stove during a thunderstorm again!

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  9. I note your hair standing on end, and the ability to power the TV just by one touch show how useful lightning can be!

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    1. We might as well look on the bright side of things, right?
      ;-)

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  10. I'm so glad you weren't more seriously hurt - it must have been scary. Love the flowers. Mine have all been battered down by the torrential rain we've had since the fine weather broke :(

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    1. It was a bit scary, could have been much worse...

      Glad you like the flowers too! Hope you are having a nice summer, Julie! xx

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  11. I am sorry you had such a scare and the problems with your right hand! But I'm so glad it was not worse, Pollyanna that I am.

    How beautiful the crepe myrtles are! I wish they would live as far north as I am!

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    1. Hey Kristi! I have been called Pollyanna too, as if that is a bad thing! xx

      Crepe Myrtles! I need to do a post on them alone, they are GORGEOUS!

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  12. I'm thankful you are ok. Who would have thought ... not me. I'm sure there have been many times I've been at the stove like you in a thunderstorm. I won't be doing it any more for sure. Thanks for sharing so now we are warned. I loved seeing all the blooms. They are beautiful!

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    1. No one had ever told me not to cook during a thunderstorm, perhaps because I am not a great cook and they thought it would never happen? ;-)
      Glad you liked my Dad's flowers too!

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  13. Glad you're ok, lightening scares the heck out of me, we had a bad storm this week and our cat was under the couch, I felt like joining her.

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    1. I'm with the cat, under the couch sounds good to me too!

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  14. Yes, you have to be careful during lightning storms, the electric shock can travel into buildings in many ways.

    Love the Beach Boys!

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    1. Yes, I know how many ways lightning can get into a building NOW, I read so much about it AFTER my shock at the stove!
      :-)

      YAY for the Beach Boys!!

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  15. I am sure glad to hear that you are okay. I have had lightning stike within a hundred feet of me a few time, but I have never received a jolt. By the way, Good Vibrations is by far my favorite Beach Boys songs!

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    1. Thanks, Jerry. We had a strike across the street from our office building once and it shook our whole building!

      YAY, a song that we BOTH like, that makes me happy! :-)

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  16. Wow, Kay, I'm sure glad you are alright and hope your hand will return to it's former self as well. Lightning hit the tree next to our friend's house a couple of weeks ago and she had to replace most of her appliances and also computer equipment. Such a powerful force! Love, Silke

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    1. Thanks, Silke, I am okay but it was a strange feeling for a bit.
      We always unplug during a storm but I know now not to be at a stove!
      Take care during our powerful Georgia thunderstorms! I read that we have some of the most in the country!

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  17. I am glad you survived the thunderstorm. I have never been struck by lightning. Those flowers are so pretty. How nice of your father to give you a bouquet. I loved the Beach Boys too and have several of their CDs.

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    1. I really am okay but I wanted to make sure that everyone knew not to cook during a storm!

      Don't you just love those flowers? My Dad is the best!

      LOVE the Beach Boys and their harmonies. I love beautiful singing voices.

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  18. Kay!!! That is so scary ~ I'm so glad you're okay. I didn't even know that was possible. I should've known you love the Beach Boys ~ as do I. When I was growing up, my aunt Brenda and I would dance and sing to them ALL THE TIME. There's very little that can take me back like The Beach Boys. I really need to check out that book. Soph had a play last night and her friend, Aiden, brought some cut crepe myrtles. I brought her yellow daisies. When we got home, I mixed them together in a vase and put them by her bed. Your last photo reminded me very much of Soph's flowers!!! Hope you're having a beautiful weekend! XOXO

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    1. Hey Audrey!
      HA! Guess what? I have an Aunt Brenda too! My mother was from a big family, so my Aunt Brenda and Aunt Gayle were just 10 and 8 years older than me..so, during the 60's when I was a kid, they were teenagers and I got to listen to all their music and we (and all our cousins) would dance to all the 60's music!! It was great fun!
      Oh, and isn't that funny, the pink and yellow colors are much like Sophie's bouquet...we are on the same wavelength, my dear! xx

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  19. Oh my! The crepe myrtles are absolutely gorgeous! I love the color and that beautiful feathery look. Ahhh... the Beach Boys... Yes, I do remember them well.

    And YIKES with that lightning storm. Sheesh! I had no idea that could happen. I do avoid taking a bath during a lightning storm or using the telephone, but standing next to a stove? Wow! I'm glad you're OK now. That sounded really scary.

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    1. You know I thought of you when I put those crepe myrtles as my header photo!! I knew you would love them!!

      PROMISE me that you will not be beside a stove during a thunderstorm! I had no idea but I do now!! xx

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  20. We used to have serious storms when we lived in Sussex - the thunder used to roll around and around the South Downs - and always during the night. Since moving to the Hebrides eight years ago, it wasn't until this past week that I heard distant thunder for the first time. Your adventure with your storm sounds scary. Glad you were not hurt.

    I don't think I have ever seen crepe myrtle. The pink colour is spectacular.

    Please take care - I understand you have really spectacular storms in Georgia.

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    1. Ah, the South Downs, you are making me want to go there!

      I will be more careful during a thunderstorm and I most certainly will NOT be cooking!

      The crepe myrtles come in all different colors...bright pink, pink, white, purple, lavender and I have even seen one in red! They are MAGNIFICENT and this year, because of all the rain, they are full and lush. Oh dear, I truly love flowers and flowering trees!

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