Boy did we have a storm here last night!

The sky was threatening all day yesterday.  I prayed for NO RAIN so the kiddos could have their recess (they got it) and then prayed again at lunch.  We were spared until about 2:00 p.m.  Then, the heavens opened up with lightning, thunder, and rain.  The thunder was right above our school and I taught the kids how to count, "1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi"... basically to calm them down.  I even SCREAMED at one thunder clap!  One boy completely lost it and dove under his desk and was sobbing.  He's asthmatic and he was wheezing, so I called the office and had 2 volunteers take him up there.  He was also crying for his mother, so off he went.  Jeez...don't need that in 3rd grade!  Then 2 girls got hysterical, so there went my afternoon math lesson.  I turned off the lights and the rest of us watched the lightning show.  Some kids gathered with me at the back table and did some colored chalk artwork about the lightning, while others gathered in small groups.  I basically let them do whatever they wanted.  There was NO point in even trying to teach them!  I talked to one of my colleagues at after school duty and she pretty much did the same thing.

By the time I was driving home, the high desert was getting SOAKED.  29 Palms really got hit and there was flooding.

About dusk, it started up again in our neighborhood and I opened all the doors and windows to allow the fresh air to come inside.  Hubby was watching a baseball game and I retreated to the bedroom to watch the storm cell move through.  These cells move quickly and this one came up from the Salton Sea.  Boy, did it put on a show!  Several fires were started when lightning hit trees in a few valley cities and I could hear fire trucks constantly moving to where they were needed.  It was quite an evening, indeed!  I finally konked out about 8 p.m. and the thunder was about 20-25 miles away.

Here's a link to our local news station and their article about the storm:    http://www.kesq.com/news/lightning-causes-fires-around-coachella-valley/35869268