Tornados and Firestorms

I was born and raised in beautiful, lush, wet and green Ohio.  Just a skip and hop away was the largest Amish/Mennonite community in the United States.  Holmes, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties, primarily.  The groups are Old Order, New Order, Swartzentruber, Amish-Mennonite, Mennonite and more.  While the Amish are a major tourist attraction, there are also great fishing and boating lakes, wonderful parks, easy access to cultural opportunities, world class zoos and amusement parks.  Lets not forget History- settlement communities, archeological dig areas, early canal travels and more.  Ohios slogan used to be "Ohio-the heart of it all".  In many ways it still is that.  Both an industrial and agricultural biggie, Ohio plays a large part in the economy of the country.  Needless to say, I love Ohio.
Ohio is also a place that tornados frequent, blizzards are well known, power-outages and floods are common enough that most people are fairly blase' about them.

Contrast that to Colorado, my current home.  High-desert mountains, where skiing and hiking take advantage of the over mile high areas.  River and lake fishing is good, and the easy way to tell a visitor to the state are the altitude-sickness symptoms.  Headache, tiredness and lack of appetite.  Colorado is a home to cowboys, elk and moose, bears and mountain lions.  People here think nothing of driving a couple hours to go to the mall.  And 60 mph winds are considered "gusty".    Even with all the snow here, we never have enough water.  Our water, by centuries old contract, goes to Texas, California, Arizona.  Our grass is rarely green, unless artificially watered.  Usually the color is a greenish brown.  Sagebrush, taking the form of tumbleweeds bounce even into the city.  The sun shines approximately 350 days per year here.  In the summer it can reach the low 100's.  With next to no humidity, it doesnt feel that hot.  And in the winter, 10 below is common, with the wind chills factored in to feel like 40 below.

The thing that is feared most here is fire.  Once it catches, the ever-present winds take it and run.  The terrain of the mountains can make it hard to battle, and so many of us out here have built our homes into the woods, where a strong fire can take them in one gust.  There is currently a fire of over 4000 acres burning.  It has taken at least 2 dozen homes.  Two people have died, and one is missing.  There are over 500 firefighters on the job, battling this now for 4 days.  As of this morning, only 10 to 15 percent is contained.
What I would give for the green and water from Ohio.  And yet, Colorado has a beauty unlike anyplace else.  It is a state of constant surprise, from tiny towns with amazing museums, to ancient dwellings.  Adobe churches and homes in various state of disrepair, and modern structures that would look in place back east in the capitol cities.


I find myself so grateful for the opportunities Ive had to see so much of the world.  To see the beauty of such diverse areas, and yet Ive also realised that nothing is as good as home.  No matter where home is, its always wonderful to get back.  Something about the security of being with our own things, the comfort of familiarity.


Keep those who are affected by the fires in your hearts, and look around at your own "comfort and security".  Have a wonderful day!