What might it take to get a Presidential Candidate to speak about climate change during the campaign?  I read that it was nowhere on the agenda of the Republican Convention; I don’t know what the Democrats might do if anything.

Millions of the constituents and followers of both parties have lost their homes, gardens, savings, and even their lives due to weather disturbances – drought, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires.

We had another good scare on the farm tonight. A tornado struck once or twice during my time here, but I never remember being told to take shelter immediately, as I was tonight. I shouldn’t leave people in the dark about what happened. We are all fine.

We just got an all-clear about 25 minutes after a Civil Defense alarm with a grim voice in my Iphone loudly ordered us to take shelter in a basement or other secure, low space. I’ve never gotten a warning as urgent and severe as that one, a tornado that was said to be close to our small town. It’s rainbow weather now, sunny and clear.

There was high wind and heavy rain, but the sky has cleared now, our power is still on, and several weather alerts have expired.

I was putting up my nightly Flower Art Photos and quickly put them on the blog, turned off the computer,  and went outside to look with Maria.

We did not rush into the basement as suggested; I’m still trying to figure out why. It is still difficult to believe a tornado would strike our farm.

We have to talk about that.

Too many people in America know better and have paid a price for failing to get safe. Part of it is that we don’t want to be away from the animals when real trouble strikes. This is all new to them, too.

The sky looked dark and angry, and the wind bent our trees, forcing some limbs almost to the ground. Even without the tornado, which didn’t appear, it was something to take seriously; it was humbling.

It rained heavily for a while, then melted away. I never heard the voice on my phone again.

Zip disappeared into the barn, the chickens ran under my garden bed, the donkeys and sheep went deep into the Pole Barn, and our dogs gathered around us and trembled and whined, except for Zinnia, who looked like she wanted to go out and roll in the rain.

We’ll survey for damage, but I don’t think anything serious happened to the farm.

I wonder when and if climate change will even come up in the presidential campaign. So many millions of red and blue people have lost everything to the weather.

They seem powerless; sometimes, the only people in America with real power are those with billions of dollars to give to lobbyists and politicians.

I was grateful for my flowers this afternoon. They keep me on the ground and water my spirits.

It must be awful to lose them.