Barbara J. Hamby

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Bright Lights

I could probably count on my fingers (without resorting to toes) the number of violent electrical storms I’ve experienced since living in the Portland-Vancouver area in the last forty-five years. In the last three days, we’ve had two such storms. Last night’s was pretty spooky. The lightning and thunder rolled over our area for about an hour, starting around 2:00 a.m. The bright light penetrated insulated drapes over the bedroom window and my closed eyelids. Several loud claps sounded much closer than comfortable.

Even though I knew I was safe in bed, I was awake for several hours and I’m still a bit groggy. On the morning news, the widest thunderbolt I’ve ever seen was pictured in the sky over Bull Mountain, which is just above us. I was surprised and grateful that we didn’t lose our electrical service, so I could sit up and read until I got sleepy.

Mother Nature could use some anger management training. If only that were possible.