tornados

ok, it's been a while since i've posted. damn you, facebook. but i just can't ramble on in facebook like i can here. so here it goes.

i was watching the Weather Channel, a TV show called "Tornado!" guess what it was about? anyway, they were talking about the widest tornado ever in the united states, 2.5 miles wide. evidently the weather had been crappy all day. a trained storm spotter and a storm chaser were on their ways to this storm outbreak. in a neighboring town, there was a motorcycle ride for muscular dystrophy. the riders had seen the storm build but they just thought it was an ordinary storm. being in nebraska, i'm not sure how you could tell an "ordinary" storm from one that would bring down a 2.5 mile-wide funnel. ok, so the riders are done with their ride, they go to a bar to have a few drinks. then one of the women that they interviewed said, "it came out of nowhere. we had no warning."

um, excuse me?

just because you couldn't be bothered to look out the pub window while you were tying one on isn't anyone's fault but your own. you saw the sky outside. and if you would have turned on a TV before you left the house or maybe turned on a radio, you might have heard the weather report and would have known what was going on. if i can tell a storm is coming when i live in chicago, with buildings and skyscrapers in my way, you can certainly take a look out your damn country window and see a damn funnel cloud.

ignorance is not an excuse.

so don't be as dumb as these people. there is no excuse for anyone to be caught off guard by a tornado. they don't just fall out of a blue sky. and anyone say, "we had no warning" during the day, you deserve to die. sorry.

death in the family

it's always hard when someone in the family passes away.

Loretta M. Mathewson, 92, went to be with the Lord Monday morning, May 4, 2009, following a brief illness at Muncie Health and Rehabilitation Center.

She was born, October 4, 1916, in Burlington, WI the daughter of Carl and Etta Mae (Saar) Wiese. She graduated from high school in Milwaukee, WI, attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI and received her bachelor's degree from Ball State University.

Mrs. Mathewson was the president and owner of NEMA Health Foods.

She was president of the Local Widowed Person's Service of Delaware County, cofounder of Delaware County Mental Health Association, founding member of the Riley-Jones Club, and had tea at the White House with First Lady Bess Truman. She was a member of Delaware-Blackford County Medical Society Auxiliary, Toastmasters Club, Senior Theater Group Third Age, and Senior Coordinator of the Adventures in Attitude. Mrs. Mathewson volunteered for numerous organizations including the Retired Senior Volunteer Service and the Alpha Center.

She enjoyed playing the piano for years at various churches and nursing homes.

Surviving are two sons, William R. Mathewson (wife-Leslie), Muncie and John C. Mathewson (wife-Mary), Yorktown; two grandchildren, Katie and Ben Mathewson, Yorktown; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husbands, Dr. Russell C. Mathewson and Ralph W. Rothhaas; four brothers, William Wiese, George Saar, Stanley Wiese, and Charles Wiese; and her sister, Charlotte Page.

Services will be held in The Meeks Mortuary and Crematory, Washington Street Chapel at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2009, with Rev. John Calhoun officiating. Cremation will follow.

Friends may call at The Meeks Mortuary and Crematory, Washington Street Chapel from 5 until 8 p.m. on Wednesday or one hour prior to services on Thursday.

Memorials may be directed to First Choice for Women, 600 S. Tillotson Ave., Muncie, IN 47303 or the Muncie Mission, 1725 S. Liberty St., Muncie, In 47302.

Online condolences may be directed to the family at http://www.meeksmortuary.com.

because my family tree is staggered at my grandfather's level (he was an oops baby, born 18 years younger than his next oldest sibling), this 92-year-old amazing woman was my second cousin. my dad's first cousin. my dad's dad is listed as one of her "brothers" but really, he was her uncle. when his mother died of the influenza in 1918, he went to live with loretta's mom, i think. so he was like a brother. it's all very hard to keep track of.

not only did she have tea at the white house (that story i never heard, dammit. now i'm going to have to shake down her sons to hear that one!), but she received her bachelor's degree when it was practically unheard of for women. but the amazing thing is this woman was camping with us just 2 years ago. if you do the math, that means a 90-year-old woman was sitting by the campfire, using pit toilets, eating corn on the cob, sharing family stories. 90! on my mom's side, my great-grandmother lived to be 96. i'm not sure if i'm thrilled or terrified i could live to be that old. get back to me when i'm 80.

so say a prayer for my "aunt" loretta and her family. i hope we can all live life to the fullest as she did.