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The last day of Summer produces a tornado 12 miles from my house!

by MissTerraK
29 replies
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At my house we only got a torrential downpour, some wicked wind and a lot of noise enough to wake us from sleep, but not as much as they got just 12 miles down the road!


Tornado Causes Damage in Rochester Hills


Terra
  • Profile picture of the author positivenegative
    Far enough away from you thankfully. Looked severe though. Mind you, so did the botox assaulted, face-lifted dial of the Jackie Stallone lookalike presenting the Ford advert at the beginning.
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    • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
      Originally Posted by positivenegative View Post

      Far enough away from you thankfully. Looked severe though. Mind you, so did the botox assaulted, face-lifted dial of the Jackie Stallone lookalike presenting the Ford advert at the beginning.
      Hmmm, I didn't get an advert in the beginning. Perhaps they thought you needed a Ford and knew I didn't. Or maybe they were trying to dissuade you from that facelift you've been thinking about! Hahahaha!

      Oh, sorry. Sometimes I just crack myself right up.


      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      Glad you didn't get it. We don't live in tornado country. Every now and then there's a tornado alert for somewhere around here, but I've never seen one in VA and we never take the alerts seriously. The worst we've had was a super derecho and that was wicked. The winds from a hurricane on the coast are dangerous here only because our house is surrounded by enormous trees and huge branches break off and fall and even whole trees just uproot and fall.

      This year the acorns are so plentiful that huge branches are breaking off from the weight. One fell within a couple of feet of me. These are branches that would kill you if they fell on you. We've had so many of those, I've limited my time outside until the acorns are gone.

      ... but back to the topic. Glad you didn't get a direct hit from the tornado.
      Thanks, Suzanne. Whoa! That sounds dangerous! That must be a heck of a lot of acorns. Where are the squirrels when you need them, right? lol!


      Originally Posted by Cali16 View Post

      Wow, Terra, I didn't think they had tornadoes in Michigan. Glad to hear it missed you by several miles!

      Yeah Cali, believe it or not, Michigan is part of Tornado Alley but we don't get near the size of tornadoes as the other states do.


      Terra
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      • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
        Banned
        Originally Posted by MissTerraK View Post

        Thanks, Suzanne. Whoa! That sounds dangerous! That must be a heck of a lot of acorns. Where are the squirrels when you need them, right? lol!

        Terra
        That's the problem Terra. I had numerous rat holes around my chicken coops and put out poison for them and I'm afraid that it also diminished the squirrel population here, which I hadn't intended. They'll be back next year most likely, but this year, the acorns just sit on the trees and break the branches.
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        • Profile picture of the author AprilCT
          Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

          That's the problem Terra. I had numerous rat holes around my chicken coops and put out poison for them and I'm afraid that it also diminished the squirrel population here, which I hadn't intended. They'll be back next year most likely, but this year, the acorns just sit on the trees and break the branches.
          What about if you catch them and sell them wholesale to pet stores? I won't be buying one, but there are people who like them as pets. That way, you make some cash and get rid of the rats.
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          • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
            Banned
            Originally Posted by AprilCT View Post

            What about if you catch them and sell them wholesale to pet stores? I won't be buying one, but there are people who like them as pets. That way, you make some cash and get rid of the rats.
            lol ... it's hard enough to catch my chickens when I need to. The thing with these rats is that they built a complex system of underground tunnels that went from each to another coop to the barn where food is stored. They would drop into each run, eat that food, go on to the next coop and so on and then to the barn. Only in the barn did you notice droppings ...other than that, they were always underground except at night when they were in my coops. This system of tunnels went for a couple hundred yards.

            I don't really miss the squirrels. They bring their own set of problems. I don't know why, and never encountered this until I moved to the country, but every year they eat the gas lines and brake lines in our cars, costing a lot of money to get them fixed. The trees though are now dangerous because they haven't been here this year. [sigh]
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            • Profile picture of the author HeySal
              Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

              lol ... it's hard enough to catch my chickens when I need to. The thing with these rats is that they built a complex system of underground tunnels that went from each to another coop to the barn where food is stored. They would drop into each run, eat that food, go on to the next coop and so on and then to the barn. Only in the barn did you notice droppings ...other than that, they were always underground except at night when they were in my coops. This system of tunnels went for a couple hundred yards.

              I don't really miss the squirrels. They bring their own set of problems. I don't know why, and never encountered this until I moved to the country, but every year they eat the gas lines and brake lines in our cars, costing a lot of money to get them fixed. The trees though are now dangerous because they haven't been here this year. [sigh]
              If there are preditors in the area that eat those rats/squirrels - they will be killed, too.
              Build owl habitats. That's what they are doing now in S ID and E OR to help the dwindling numbers of owls and to control pests in field areas. 2 birds - one stone...

              Also - don't you have cats and dogs? You're risking your pets if you are poisoning. You can spread cat feces around the area, too.

              Live trapping these little guys is pretty easy - I've always done that when I've lived close to fields and had perpetual infestations.

              My thoughts are that you probably have some animal loving high school kids in the area that would be willing (maybe small price) to live trap them and relocate them for you. If they are doing habitat studies in school, they could even get credit for field work on a project like this - relocate and set up an owl habitat. If I were in high school and had a natural science class, I'd jump at a chance like that for a project.
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              Sal
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              • Profile picture of the author msdobe
                Glad everything worked out OK for you Terra! Tornadoes are definitely frightening... where in the world can you go when you find out one is coming??? Not many places to really hide.
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              • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
                Banned
                Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

                If there are preditors in the area that eat those rats/squirrels - they will be killed, too.
                Build owl habitats. That's what they are doing now in S ID and E OR to help the dwindling numbers of owls and to control pests in field areas. 2 birds - one stone...

                Also - don't you have cats and dogs? You're risking your pets if you are poisoning. You can spread cat feces around the area, too.

                Live trapping these little guys is pretty easy - I've always done that when I've lived close to fields and had perpetual infestations.

                My thoughts are that you probably have some animal loving high school kids in the area that would be willing (maybe small price) to live trap them and relocate them for you. If they are doing habitat studies in school, they could even get credit for field work on a project like this - relocate and set up an owl habitat. If I were in high school and had a natural science class, I'd jump at a chance like that for a project.
                Our place is an owl habitat and eagle and hawk habitat. Unfortunately, they too are more interested in chickens than rats and they're doing fine. No shortage of them this year. The squirrels were unintentional, but the rats mostly died in their tunnels and the ones that died in the coops were removed and discarded. The poison was a one time application and has long been gone, along with enough of the rats that they are not a problem now.

                I know how you feel about rats and I do empathize ... I was hoping that the eagles, owls hawks and black snakes we have here in abundance would keep them in check, but they've had their eyes on the chickens and the snakes ... the eggs.

                Our dogs and cats do not roam free. Our cats are indoor only so they don't kill off the birds and dogs only go out on a leash. We have a neighbor who owns all of the land surrounding us who is far more lethal ... he kills dogs and cats. He poisoned 3 of my mother and father's dogs, so the dogs cannot roam free.

                These are all good suggestions but we don't live where there are children or even neighbors, but I do appreciate the suggestions. The one farm surrounding us is one man who has harassed us in every way possible for 18 years and every other neighbor anywhere close to here is a relative of him.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Glad you didn't get it. We don't live in tornado country. Every now and then there's a tornado alert for somewhere around here, but I've never seen one in VA and we never take the alerts seriously. The worst we've had was a super derecho and that was wicked. The winds from a hurricane on the coast are dangerous here only because our house is surrounded by enormous trees and huge branches break off and fall and even whole trees just uproot and fall.

    This year the acorns are so plentiful that huge branches are breaking off from the weight. One fell within a couple of feet of me. These are branches that would kill you if they fell on you. We've had so many of those, I've limited my time outside until the acorns are gone.

    ... but back to the topic. Glad you didn't get a direct hit from the tornado.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jack Gordon
    Don't worry, pretty soon the only thing you'll have to worry about in Michigan is the polar vortex.
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    • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
      Originally Posted by Jack Gordon View Post

      Don't worry, pretty soon the only thing you'll have to worry about in Michigan is the polar vortex.

      Please don't remind me! Brrr! I shiver at the thought.

      Although they (not the Farmer's almanac) are predicting a milder winter this year with less than average snowfall. I hope they're right! Last winter was brutal!


      Terra
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  • Profile picture of the author Raydal
    Glad you are safe. Interestingly, the closest I came to a tornado hit was when
    I was living in Michigan. You expect snow--got a lot of that, but not
    tornadoes.

    -Ray Edwards
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    • Profile picture of the author Cali16
      Wow, Terra, I didn't think they had tornadoes in Michigan. Glad to hear it missed you by several miles!
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  • Profile picture of the author NeedBucksNow
    Glad to see that you're doing alright. Tornadoes are crazy aren't they & I've been close to where a few hit before myself.
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    • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
      Originally Posted by blogsbringbucks View Post

      Glad to see that you're doing alright. Tornadoes are crazy aren't they & I've been close to where a few hit before myself.
      Thank you! That's very kind of you.

      I would have hit my thanks button but I seem to be out of my allotment for the day.


      Terra
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  • Profile picture of the author lanfear63
    Originally Posted by MissTerraK View Post

    At my house we only got a torrential downpour, some wicked wind and a lot of noise enough to wake us from sleep, but not as much as they got just 12 miles down the road!


    Tornado Causes Damage in Rochester Hills


    Terra
    I hope the wind and rain did not mess your hair up!
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    • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
      Originally Posted by lanfear63 View Post

      I hope the wind and rain did not mess your hair up!
      Nah! Thankfully, I was tucked away nicely in bed when the storm hit.


      Terra
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      • Profile picture of the author ThomM
        A tornado is one of the few things that scares the crap out of me, you just can't trust them. Glad to hear it missed you.
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        • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
          Originally Posted by ThomM View Post

          A tornado is one of the few things that scares the crap out of me, you just can't trust them. Glad to hear it missed you.
          Ooooh, I got a thanks back and you just got it.


          Terra
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Crap - I just got home and it's too late to call my dad. I'm glad you said Rochester Hills or I'd be on the phone home right now, Terra.

    Good ole MI. My mom always knew when to watch out for tornadoes because that fast drop in the barometer used to set off my asthma. LMAO.
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    • Profile picture of the author AprilCT
      Glad you are okay Tara. While you are house hunting, are there any areas where the tornadoes seem to avoid?

      We can get some nasty winds here in PA, even a small tornado or an infrequent derecho. Neither of those have hit our home, but there have been a couple within 7 or 8 miles away in the past. What I suspect was a derecho many years ago hit my parent's home who lived in one of the valley areas. Their home was one of those massive, heavy older houses built to last, and it shook the house, but that was all that happened.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    OMG. I'd be in jail if I lived by that kind of psychopath. Trust me on that one. Either that, or I might be able to "convince" them to leave. That type of crap is just inexcusable.

    I know rodents can be hard to control. I was over-run when they tore down an old grain silo near my house in ID. That's how I ended up with 2 pet mice. LOL.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
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    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      OMG. I'd be in jail if I lived by that kind of psychopath. Trust me on that one. Either that, or I might be able to "convince" them to leave. That type of crap is just inexcusable.

      I know rodents can be hard to control. I was over-run when they tore down an old grain silo near my house in ID. That's how I ended up with 2 pet mice. LOL.
      He has tried to convince us to leave ... Our property sits in the middle of his farm. It used to be his until he sold it to his brother. Then he was so horrible to his brother, that the brother sold it out of the family.

      It all started over 18 years ago over a deer. My father killed a deer (not on his property) but he dragged it home through his property. That set him off and he has been on a rampage ever since.

      He parks just outside of our fence late at night when it is pitch black outside and just stares at the house. He had a horse die and he took a tractor and drug it to our fence ... the stench was horrible. He gets his son to get together to fire rifles close enough that they sound like they're shooting at us. He killed 3 dogs of my parents. He stalks our fenceline in his vehicles constantly and just sits and stares. He built a building that looks like an outhouse just over our fence with a hole in it that he can stare out and sits there and stares at us. He bulldozed an enormous pile of snow across the road so we couldn't get out two years ago. We called the police, but he had it moved before they came. My father is old ... he and his son saw an ambulance come down here one day when he passed out and they came to our fence and did hooping, hollering, yippee sounds.

      Honestly, Sal. The man is crazy. I've called the police numerous times, but he's always on his own property so there's nothing they can do. He called the cops on us one time because he said "we threw a weed onto his property." These are just a few of the highlights this nutbag has done.
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      • Profile picture of the author Karen Blundell
        ((((Terra))) - so glad you are ok - I would be terrified being so close!
        I live a ways east of Ontario's tornado alley thankfully - but I have seen funnel clouds a few times - we can get some pretty wicked storms - they seem to be worse in the summer months though -
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        • Profile picture of the author Karen Blundell
          oh my goodness, Suzanne - that is one crazy neighbour! That makes my noisy neighbours seem like saints! I too would be in prison with Sal - there's only so much BS I could tolerate before doing something I would most definitely regret -

          here in Canada if you try to defend yourself against an intruder with any weapon - you are the one going to jail - not the intruder - so at least if your neighbour comes on your property, you have a right to protect yourself, correct?
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          • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
            Banned
            Originally Posted by Karen Blundell View Post

            oh my goodness, Suzanne - that is one crazy neighbour! That makes my noisy neighbours seem like saints! I too would be in prison with Sal - there's only so much BS I could tolerate before doing something I would most definitely regret -

            here in Canada if you try to defend yourself against an intruder with any weapon - you are the one going to jail - not the intruder - so at least if your neighbour comes on your property, you have a right to protect yourself, correct?
            Absolutely, especially with all the police reports about this situation here. But he is always very cautious never to do anything that is actually illegal (other than killing the dogs, which we couldn't prove), or to never come even an inch onto this property.

            You know how he made his brother move? He does some plumbing and he got a bunch of old toilet seats and lined and piled them up all around the fence line. At least two families moved because of him. He thought that we would too.
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      • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
        Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

        He has tried to convince us to leave ... Our property sits in the middle of his farm. It used to be his until he sold it to his brother. Then he was so horrible to his brother, that the brother sold it out of the family.

        It all started over 18 years ago over a deer. My father killed a deer (not on his property) but he dragged it home through his property. That set him off and he has been on a rampage ever since.

        He parks just outside of our fence late at night when it is pitch black outside and just stares at the house. He had a horse die and he took a tractor and drug it to our fence ... the stench was horrible. He gets his son to get together to fire rifles close enough that they sound like they're shooting at us. He killed 3 dogs of my parents. He stalks our fenceline in his vehicles constantly and just sits and stares. He built a building that looks like an outhouse just over our fence with a hole in it that he can stare out and sits there and stares at us. He bulldozed an enormous pile of snow across the road so we couldn't get out two years ago. We called the police, but he had it moved before they came. My father is old ... he and his son saw an ambulance come down here one day when he passed out and they came to our fence and did hooping, hollering, yippee sounds.

        Honestly, Sal. The man is crazy. I've called the police numerous times, but he's always on his own property so there's nothing they can do. He called the cops on us one time because he said "we threw a weed onto his property." These are just a few of the highlights this nutbag has done.
        OMGosh Suzanne, OMGosh!

        You are a much stronger woman than I am! I can't even imagine, and after all these years, I'd be very tempted to do something back.

        Sorry about the squirrels! And I understand about the rats! I have a very strong aversion to them and I know exactly why. You'd think after all of these years, I'd be over it, but I'm just not!

        Back story - When I was just a little girl, my parents wanted to go to the movies one weekend but couldn't find a sitter so they took us with them to the drive-in. We got there kind of early. Mom and Dad figured we'd tucker ourselves out running around and playing on the playground for an hour in the fresh air and by the time the movie played, we'd be asleep.

        It worked for my brother and sister, but not hyper little Terra!

        Anyway, in this movie, this really weird guy keeps rats for pets and trains them. He tells them to kill his boss and they do, eating him. In the end, they turn on this weirdo guy and eat him too!!

        That's all I remember, but from then on, I can't stand rats! I can't help it!


        Terra
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        • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
          Banned
          Originally Posted by MissTerraK View Post

          OMGosh Suzanne, OMGosh!

          You are a much stronger woman than I am! I can't even imagine, and after all these years, I'd be very tempted to do something back.

          Sorry about the squirrels! And I understand about the rats! I have a very strong aversion to them and I know exactly why. You'd think after all of these years, I'd be over it, but I'm just not!

          Back story - When I was just a little girl, my parents wanted to go to the movies one weekend but couldn't find a sitter so they took us with them to the drive-in. We got there kind of early. Mom and Dad figured we'd tucker ourselves out running around and playing on the playground for an hour in the fresh air and by the time the movie played, we'd be asleep.

          It worked for my brother and sister, but not hyper little Terra!

          Anyway, in this movie, this really weird guy keeps rats for pets and trains them. He tells them to kill his boss and they do, eating him. In the end, they turn on this weirdo guy and eat him too!!

          That's all I remember, but from then on, I can't stand rats! I can't help it!

          Terra
          Shhhh Terra. I don't want to upset Sal about the rats. Just kidding Sal.
          Lol about the movie.

          My brother lives here too, and I can assure you that sometimes we sit around and fantasize about doing bad things to the neighbor. lol. But that's as far as it's gotten.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    If you have evidence of even some of his little "pranks" - take him to court and sue him mindless under charges of "private nuisance" I don't care how "on his property" he is doing things - if it effects YOUR property it's illegal.
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    Sal
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    Beyond the Path

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