February 2, 2015
9:11 p.m.

Today was lovely, sunny and mild. You'd almost never know that yesterday I woke up to a foot of snow! Much of it was melted away by this afternoon.

Naturally, all that sunshine means that Mr. Groundhog saw his shadow and retreated for six more weeks of snooze time. Winter isn't finished with us yet, presumably.

Whee!
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I'm still getting used to being back home, and still missing my Oklahoma family.

Oklahoma has its good points, one of them being a higher level of humidity than Colorado. Since I've been home, my skin has dried out to the point of flakiness. I'm going to need a lot more lotion!

As much as I love and miss my family, though, I really do prefer Colorado. It's so pretty here. I love the mountains, and all the many varieties of trees.

Also, I have no desire to live in fear of tornadoes. I don't know how people do it.

My first Saturday in Oklahoma City, at noon precisely, a very loud siren began to blare. I nearly jumped out of my skin. My grandchildren continued to go about their business as if nothing was happening.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Doesn't that mean something?"

"Sure," my granddaughter replied. "It means they're testing the sirens."

"Oh." Well, of course. I soon learned that this test takes place every Saturday at noon.

Oklahoma City better hope that their next tornado doesn't hit at noon on a Saturday, because no one will seek shelter. By my seventh Saturday, the siren barely made any impression on me, and I'm not a native.

Just something to think about...
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Speaking of sirens, I grew up in a small town in Wyoming, where on every Wednesday of my childhood there was a test of the air raid sirens. I wonder if they still do that? I don't remember hearing them the last time I was there...
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Nothing profound is going on in my brain tonight, folks, so I will bid you a fond good-night.