Tornado Bonnie

My mom, who happens to turn the big 85 today, is a ‘rounder’ as she would say.  Well, she wouldn’t necessarily say that about herself, but it’s a term she uses.  I thought it would be apropos to use it seeing as she just survived 12 tornadoes in Dallas.

You have to understand my mom.  ‘Mild mannered’ she is not.  I started thinking that ‘tornado’ could be a perfect adjective to describe parts of her personality. 

The tornadoes in Dallas are a perfect example.

I was driving home from a meeting after work last Tuesday (April 3) and heard the beep on my cellphone.  I had a message.  Not wanting to fiddle with it while driving, I waited till I got home.  It was a message from my mom.

“Honey, I just want you to know I’m OK.”  (spoken in a very solemn voice)  “It’s a blessing.  I know you’ll hear when you get home.”  CLICK

CLICK?  What do you mean hanging up and not telling me what in the world you’re talking about?  Lord, I figured she’d had a serious wreck, wrecked her car, escaped death.  My guy figured she had taken a serious fall. 

I called immediately

“MOM!  What’s going on?”

“Oh, hi honey.  I’m sitting here watching the Mavericks.”  (Very calm, very relaxed voice.)

“MOM…What’s with the phone call…what happened?”

“Oh, you mean the tornadoes.”

“What tornadoes?”

“Oh, honey, it’s been just terrible here.  We’ve had tornadoes all over Dallas today.”

“Well Mom, you could have told me on your message.  I was scared to death!”

“I was wondering why you hadn’t called to check on me.  Do you know who the only person was who called to find out if I was OK? (pause) GRITS.  She’s the only one who called.”

“Mom, I didn’t know anything about tornadoes!”

“Well, it’s all over the news.”

“But I’ve been at work.”

“Oh.  Well, Joshua hasn’t even called to check on me!”

At that point, she described her ‘adventure.’

“I was out in Rockwall playing Hand and Foot.  I started home and the radio started telling people to take cover.  And there I was…driving and I could see two tornadoes.  They were big suckers.  I thought, where am I going to take cover?  I’ll just outrun those suckers.  JudyLen there were some idiots STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT!  I thought, I’m not stopping, no siree.  I just drove right through them.  Those idiots sitting there just looked at me as I drove through. Can you imagine stopping at a red light when there’s tornadoes?  I thought, I just dare anyone to try and stop me.  I ran 3 red lights.  I just drove right home, put my car in the garage and I don’t even think my car was damaged by the hail.”

And then she laughed. I think I took a breath at that point.

That’s my mom! 

In her younger years, when my kids were small, we took a trip to Six Flags Over Texas.  We were riding the little cars.  I can’t remember exactly what happened, but in her mind, some HUGE injustice had been done to one of my kids.  It was probably something like they didn’t get the color of car they wanted.  Well, that person working didn’t know who they had crossed.  

“Ah, EXCUSE ME, I would like to speak to YOUR manager.  NOW.” 

From there, it was downhill for the worker at Six Flags.

I, of course, was totally embarrassed and my 3 kids were totally impressed! 

Another time, my mom and brother were in … I think it was Corpus Christi… with my godmother and her daughter, Lisa.  They were at a roller skating competition.  Apparently a hurricane hit Texas.  My mom.  Was she afraid?  Why no.  She went out IN the hurricane and offered her assistance in directing traffic. 

No, wait, she may not have offered her assistance, she probably just took it upon herself to go direct the traffic as she saw best.

And then there’s the trip we took driving from Dallas to northern California when the boys both had chicken pox.  Lindsey had flown home with her dad since she was just a baby.  We were racing, yes, racing, well, you might say speeding, through the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah when I told my mom there were flashing lights behind her.  (Finally!)  She directed me to open her glove box and get her registration out and to HIDE THE GUN! 

Gun?  Oh geez.  I hate guns, had no idea she had a gun.  Unfortunately, poor Joshua sitting in the back seat saw it, and started to cry.  “Joshua, you just hush.  For crying-out-loud, there’s nothing to be afraid of.  It’s just a gun.” 

She got a ticket.  The gun remained hidden to the ‘officer’.  I think she probably called him a ‘jack ass’ for stopping her, but I think I called him a ‘saint’.  

Yep, that’s my mom…Bonnie Lou.  As has been said about her, ‘They threw away the mold after she was made.’  

Happy Birthday, Mom!  

“Wait!” yelled Emerson.  “You forgot to say she was a great great-grandma!” 

“Of course, Emerson! You’re absolutely correct!”  My mom loves her family, and now has 4 great-grandkids!  Thalia, Emerson, Benjamin, and William    How can I write anything and not include that?    

Bonnie Lou with her daughter-in-law, Becky, and me

This was most of 'the girls'...having a grand ole time in Colorado at Thanksgiving

Saddie and Thalia...eating Japanese food...what year was this? 

Sami, Saddie, and Thalia

John David, Joshua, and Saddie

Saddie and Emerson

 Saddie and Benjamin
and her newest great-grandson, William!

A dearly loved mom, grandmother, great-grandmother... that's you, Mom!  
Happy Birthday!!!