I love irony.
I was noodling on the computer today while listening to Ellington's outstanding version of "Stormy Weather," and I happened to notice outside my window that the weather was really starting to deteriorate. It didn't surprise me because we've had a lot of storms lately - including a tornado or two - but when matched up with the music it seemed like a sign that I should write about my own rainy day memories.
But that's not the ironic part. Nope, that occurred after I'd spent some time writing a good beginning to my little piece about stormy weather, and a sudden lightning bolt caused the power to fail and I lost what I'd written. Now that's irony.
Stormy weather has always seemed to inspire songwriters, but most of the songs they've generated have not been about the bad weather itself. Instead, they're mostly related to the moods and feelings that gloomy weather evokes in all of us. But stormy days can also remind of us past weather-related experiences. We all have stories about big storms and even tornadoes, and although I've been fortunate enough to elude big twisters, I've been close a few times.
One that comes to mind was almost exactly ten years ago. It was a warm and windy afternoon, and a storm front blew in while I happened to be on a long-distance phone call with my son. As I was talking to him, I realized that the sky outside was getting very dark and the wind was blowing so hard that some of the smaller trees were bent over sideways. At about that moment, I heard a drumming, roaring sound that seemed to be getting louder, so I told him I had to go because I thought we might be in a tornado.
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