We timed that right!

 We decided to get our shelter installed before the next tornado season begins. We decided it would be great to beat the rush (spring is the installers' busy season!), and also it would just be nice to have it so we have time to set it up with supplies and whatnot before we need to use it. 

Well, as luck would have it, we have two systems pushing in this week that are predicted to bring tornados. I asked our neighbor, "Isn't this a little out of season?!" to which she replied, "Not really. Things sometimes kick up again in the fall." Oh, so tornado season 2.0?

 I've been keeping a close eye on this because, yes, I do like to be prepared, but mostly because it's just so fascinating to see how the prediction has changed little by little as the first storm gets closer. It's predicted to start tomorrow late afternoon in the Oklahoma City area before making its way to the Tulsa area. Wind, rain, lightning, thunder, hail, and maybe some tornados are expected to come with this storm.

Yesterday, we were outside of the main predicted area, but they expanded the bubble and now we're right inside it.

Lots of storm chasers are heading to Oklahoma this weekend to try to catch a tornado so they can get great footage and scientific data. I think most of them will end up west of us in OKC, but maybe we'll see a few in town today when we're out and about.

Tonight we will clean up the back yard, secure anything loose and also pull my car into the garage just in case there's damaging hail. I'll be sure to update you on anything exciting that may happen! I'm totally fine with not having to take shelter. If tornados touch down around us, cool, but not too close! The three of us are hoping for epic thunder and lightning though, because we love those storms!

Oh, and another storm is predicted to roll in Tuesday during the daytime. Gonna have to keep an eye on that and plan accordingly! I know Liam's school is prepared with large shelters to fit the entire population of the school and then some, but if the morning itself starts off questionable, I'd likely just keep him home! I guess that's the new Oklahoman in me. Everyone else will probably just call it Tuesday and move on as usual.

Introducing Mabel

 After Emma lost her brother, Oliver, she just wasn't perking up. Dogs, like humans, go through a grieving process after they lose someone important to them. I remember Oliver going through it after Ivan died, too. Emma was there with us when Oliver passed. I remember she was cuddling with him the whole time, but then after he passed, she gave him a lick and a nuzzle and then walked away. She knew. Her being there for closure was a big part of the reason we all wanted to have a vet come to us. With Ivan, we took him to the vet and I swear, Oliver looked for Ivan for weeks. I've always felt guilty that we didn't give Oliver that closure.

Always, after Oliver had been gone about two months, it was clear Emma was still in a state of depression. She was mopey, clingy, and had just lost some pep in her step. She became the most spoiled dog as we took her everywhere with us, but she still had a sadness about her. I wasn't ready to get another dog quite yet, but it wasn't about me: Emma needed a companion.

Blake took charge of the hunt for a friend because I still didn't have it in me to even consider getting another dog, even though I knew Emma needed it. He found a set of sisters who were rescued from unsafe living conditions. A litter of four puppies was born outside in Collinsville, Oklahoma. One of the four died after being struck by a car. To add insult to injury, the dogs were born during a week-long snow and ice storm that brought subzero temperatures for over a week! Poor things. All three caught our attention, but "Marzie" had such sad eyes and giant ears and immediately, I wanted to meet her. We actually referred to her as "the one who needs a hug!" when we talked about her and her sisters. I mean, come on. Look at that sad little face!

Drooling, sad little Marzie just needed a hug and some loving.

We were told she was going to the vet for a check up and a routine spay, then we could meet her and see if it was a good fit. The four of us (yes, Emma, too!) went to meet her and the first thing she did was crawl up into Liam's lap and curled up into a small ball. He stated, "Yup, she's the one!"

We went home with our new friend and she was sooo timid. She laid in her dog bed all day. We took her to the store to get her a collar and she wouldn't even walk. She was just hunched over like in her picture. We ended up having to carry her through the store with us.

The next morning, she was vibrant and happy! She was running around, exploring the house and came running whenever she heard us call for her. Emma, however, wasn't sure about her new housemate. Marzie, or Mabel, as we came to call her, kept trying to play, but Emma wasn't having it. She had no interest in playing and snubbed Mabel for 8 whole days. Finally, she started to return playful moves and they've been playing and wrestling ever since! Now they are the best of friends and they're a joy to watch play and cuddle. 

Mabel loves her humans!

Mabel also loves her sister!

Tornado Shelter

 I still can't believe we live somewhere where tornado precautions are necessary!

Oklahoma gets more tornados than any other state in the nation. However, Tulsa doesn't really get THAT many by comparison. The last damage-causing tornado in Tulsa was in 2017. So while some parts of Oklahoma have damage-causing storms every year, Tulsa is not very high on the danger list. Because of that, we'd considered not even having a shelter installed.  We figured we could just head to our master closet (the most interior room we have) in case of emergency. We talked to neighbors and most of them didn't have a shelter which was surprising to us. In the end, though, there's a certain peace of mind that a storm shelter brings, so we started doing our research and decided that an above-ground shelter in the garage would be perfect for us.

We called a company that we first spoke to at a Home and Garden show in Tulsa last month. They came by last week to measure and in less than a week, they were here for the install! They custom-built this shelter just for us to fit our space. We wanted to be able to still access the attic via the pull-down ladder and also wanted the door on the short side so that we can place a workbench along the long side.

I had a good time watching the process for installation, starting with how they get this big one-piece shelter off their trailer! It took them less than an hour to get it installed which I found impressive. They even took the time to wash the exterior so it was free of hand prints. That attention to detail is much appreciated!

All done!

Storm season here peeks between March and June. We beat the spring rush and we are ready to go! We will fill it with necessities such as food and water and it'll be ready for use as needed. Last year, the tornado siren sounded just once in our neighborhood. Liam's school has two different shelters (they're BIG. They fit the entire school population and then some) so if a storm hits during the day, we know he'll be safe at school.