Lightning Strikes & Granny

Chitter took this picture of lightning from a recent spring storm we had.

When my brothers and I were growing up, Granny had all kinds of admonitions about storms, specifically about lightning.

According to Granny you can't take a shower, talk on the phone or run water when it is lightning. You also can't flush the potty or stand by a window.

And, at all costs, Granny said you should have shoes on-real shoes-even in the house-because if you don't it will draw lightning.

Granny had so many warnings about lightning that my younger brother and I started making up our own. Like-don't stand on one foot and open the frig it will attract lightning.

Or don't cross your right arm over your left arm while crossing your left leg over your right leg because it will attract lightning (obnoxious I know).

Silly or not Granny lives by her "lightning rules" and if you happen to be with her in a storm she'll make sure you do too.

If you have an admonition from your Granny-please leave a comment I'd love to hear about it.

Tipper

p.s. I have a Grannyism page where I talk about Granny. Some other folks have left wonderful comments about their Granny too. Check it out I know you'll like it.

Comments

[Miss Cindy]

When I was a child I had an unreasonable fear of thunder and lightening. It was strange because no one else in my family had that fear. We did have a housekeeper who was afraid so I guess I got it from her. Any way I didn't get over it until I was grown and had a son. I knew that if I didn't find a way to get over it that he would grow up with the same fear. I didn't want that to happen. So, I guess it was love that cured it, and he never had that fear!

[Paula]

I chuckled all the way through this post. Loved the pictures! My Mom had many of the same lightning rules that your Granny does. We always had to unplug the TV and radio's just in case the lightning hit the antenna and spit a fire ball into the house...

[Paul]

An unreasonable fear of lightning is called astraphobia. My best friend's mom definitely had it! Whenever there was lightning or thunder around, she didn't want either me or her son to move! All appliances in the house had to be turned off and unplugged. I've always heard though that you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than of winning the lottery. That's pretty depressing. :) I don't know if there's any truth to it, but several people claim to have been cured of deafness by lightning strikes.

[Granny Sue]

Great post!

My mother was my source of such information. Don't touch a light switch or talk on the phone during a thnuderstorm, don't watch TV, and stay away from windows. Some of them sort of make sense, but I'm not sure about the others.

Where I live there is so much weather lore--if the rain crow calls, it will rain the next day, if it rains while the sun shines it will rain the next day, if it rains on Easter it will rain for the 7 following Sundays, if there's a dew on the ground in the mornig it won't rain that day, the number of stars in the ring around the moon foretell how many days til it rains...and lots more. Hmmm, I need to put these on a rain post on my blog! Thanks for sparking the idea, Tipper.

[Terry Thornton]

TIPPER, Your granny gave out some of the same "storm" advice I got from my mother in the 1940s. We lived in a house with a metal/tin roof. When a lightning storm approached, we we required to take to the bed making sure that neither head nor feet touched the head or foot boards! My folks had the side of their house blow out by lightning just before I was born --- foolish-like, they had attached one end of the clothesline directly to the house and a bolt of lightning ran down it and smashed out the wall. Yes, lightning was to be feared at our house by taking to our beds! LOL!
TERRY THORNTON
HILL COUNTRY OF MONROE COUNTY MS

[Amy]

I loved this post! Grandmas have the best things to say. Growing up near Seattle I had very little experience with Thunder and lightning until we moved to Utah. I had a serious fear the first year or so but have since learned to enjoy the storms, and try to pass on a calm spirit to my kiddos!

[Jennifer in OR]

What a character!! You are truly blessed to have such a Granny. I love the photos of your house, especially love seeing shelves loaded with books, and your wood floor is gorgeous!

[Becky]

My grandmother told me not to use my fingernails when I washed my hair. Who knows why. But now everytime I wash my hair, I apologize for using my nails.

[JHS]

Hi:

Thanks for participating in this week’s Carnival of Family Life, hosted by Jen at Diary of 1. Be sure to drop by tomorrow, April 28, 2008, and check out some of the many wonderful articles submitted this week!

[Janera]

I miss my grandmother, but I have some of her dishes that bring back wonderful memories.

[Em]

I remember when I was about 12 or so, my grandmom on my Dad's side told me (the oldest grandchild) "Now, Emily - Don't ever shave your legs above the knee. There's no need for it." That has stuck with me, and will probably forever, although I didn't follow her advice! She was also the grandmother who gave me a package of nylon undies for my birthday one year... maybe I was 13 or 14 that year? It was weird... I didn't usually get a gift at all from her, so it was more weird to get that as a gift!

[susan]

i miss both my grandmas so much...gramcracker was my dads ma and nanabanana was my mom's. we were fortunate that they both usually lived very close by. nan and gramps stayed put but gramcracker moved and moved and moved and she had a huge upright piano...must of made my dad and uncles shudder everytime she said it was time to pack up move on, especially when she would choose that apartement three flights up. ya know, i never thought about it till just know....oh grammy, what where ya thinkin

[Leslie]

It must be a southern thing. My mammie (grandmother) had some of the same thoughts when it came to storms. Even things like:
if it rains while the sun was shining, the devil was beating his wife;
if it thundered without rain, the devil was bowling.

[Joan]

I wish MY granny had given some lightening advice! It should have been don't cook on an electric stove during a lightening storm. When I was 23, that's what happened to me! I was cooking, my leg was touching the metal handle of the drawer at the bottom of the stove, lightening came in the window and travelled through the stove -- threw me across the room and left little "tire tracks" up my leg. Where's Granny when I needed her? LOL

[noble pig]

Hilarious. My Granny said I could not chew gum while I was pregnant, the baby would have heart problems and be bald. Aren't most babies bald? Whatever granny both kids have a full head of hair and have not needed an EKG as of yet.