We watched as the dark clouds rolled in, layer upon layer, and the radar on the blinking television screen became a rainbow of colors. At first it looked like Fargo wouldn’t get much of the severe thunderstorm, but it didn’t take long for the storm to lock its sights right on the Fargo-Moorhead area.
The rumble of thunder could be heard miles away in the distance and it was constant, much more continuous than I can ever remember hearing before. It went on like that for hours, rumbling thunder and bright lightning. Then the rain came, with pieces of hail sprinkled in and they pounded and bounced off the roof.
With a giant CLAP of thunder my husband and I jumped and shuddered. That was it for the dog, Maple ran down stairs and hid underneath his favorite bed. We thought we should climb out of bed and watch some local weather coverage to make sure we weren’t missing any warnings. I got Maple out from his hiding spot, scooped him up, and held him tight as he shook uncontrollably.
Maple is a dog who could really use that product called the Thundershirt – the t-shirt for dogs that wraps them tightly and comforts them during storms. But historically he has ripped off any sort of clothing, so we are his “Human Thundershirts.” We hold him close and he usually calms down, at least a little.
After the local meteorologist said things should be quieting down, we retired again for the evening. I don’t know how we were able to fall asleep in the middle of all of that commotion – we must have been tired.
Sleep didn’t last that long for me. Just after 1 a.m. another round of severe storms made their appearance. As I heard sheets of rain hitting the side of the house my eyes flew open. I don’t even feel that wide-awake when I get up in the morning. I made my way to the television once again but the picture wouldn’t come through due to the storm.
A few hours later the rain was still pouring the thunder still boomed enough to shake the house and I started to feel sleepy once again. I returned to my bed to discover that the shaking dog had taken my place. He wasn’t planning to move and because of the storm, I didn’t plan to make him move. I found a way to crawl under the covers and he scooted closer to me for comfort.
In the morning when the beeps of the heavy construction equipment outside our front door started bright and early on a road project, Maple did not want to move. This is the only time in the history of the world that I have asked if he wanted to get up and I was met with tired eyes and a sigh as he put his head back down on the bed.
It’s hard to be a Maple during a thunderstorm.