Oh, Alabama. I’ve lived in this great state for more than half my life, and I’m still not used to its volatile and seemingly bipolar weather moods.  

I like to make jokes about Alabamians having to be prepared for all four seasons in one day, but I think we can probably all agree: Tornado season is not supposed to happen when I’m in the middle of putting up my Christmas tree and listening to songs about Rudolph.   

Just this morning I woke up to severe weather and a tornado warning for our neighbors in southern Morgan County, and while I love listening to the sound of falling rain, sirens have the tendency to put me on edge.  

Thankfully the threat moved through our area quickly. It continues to be an overcast day with a little more rain expected, but the severe weather is behind us now.  

One of my favorite movies when I was a kid, and probably still one of my go-to films to pass the time, is “Twister.” I can still quote a lot of it. Case in point: My favorite line is, “I’ve gotta go Julia, we’ve got cows!” I also love Phillip Seymour Hoffman in his hilarious role.  

As an aside, a couple of times I have seen a red truck parked in downtown Hartselle with a full-scale Dorothy device strapped in the bed that looks like it came straight out of the 1996 movie. If anyone knows the story behind that, I’d love to know more.  

A part of me has always been a little bit fascinated with tornadoes. Not enough to want to see one here at home but maybe in one of the Plains states, where I could be far enough away from one to be safe but could still witness the strength and power of it.  

I hope I’m never faced with one here in Hartselle because I know the destruction they can bring.  

Hopefully soon, when the very cold weather is around to stay, we can say goodbye to the threat for a while. Meanwhile, don’t let the sirens kill your Christmas cheer.