Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

We are Jemima and Easter Yeggs.  Lieutenant Yeggs wants his son to write these reports to keep in touch when we are out having our adventures, and Rev C.S.L., my Dad, doesn’t mind an update either.

Our annual Spring Break Storm Chase was going to be in two vehicles this year.  A mixed team was going to be in the Turtle.  Easy would drive and I would be on the cameras.  To start the first storm chase, the three in observation would be Arabella Dalton, Michael Rowe Casey, and sitting between the lovebirds will be Mike Kildare.  Then on the radar, Dr. Ellie will be the boss, while Wilma will direct the Storm Chasing Channel feeds, interviews, and on-site filming.  In the following vehicle, at a safe distance, there will be Dr. James and Mags Kildare, Mercedes Kildare, and Matthew and Madison Dykstra, Morrie Dykstra’s children.  And since they were taking the Pink party wagon, the Pink 6, the extra was Fred.

So, this was the teen love machine wagon, of sorts.  Arabella and Michael have been an item.  Mike and Maddie and Matthew and Mercy were in the Babs and Harold wedding party, and they are casual friends, for now.  We thought we could flip observers each day during the storm chase, but we would have extra helpers if there is a rescue or recovery operation.  Fred and Wilma were an item.  That only left Dr. Ellie Casey alone with her adopted son.  Dr. Ben was working on some things at home, honey-do things since the Casey’s lived with his Mom.  Little Joan Casey was staying with Gigi and Stormie at Mom Yeggs’ house and then going to the Lily the Pink nursery a couple of days during the week.  Madelaine Morrissey took a week of vacation herself, so no daily preschool.  Mom Yeggs had things planned almost every day for the children to have fun.

We were driving the first day to Oklahoma to get a more accurate picture of where storms would be brewing.  This year we skipped the Rockies because there was not an atmospheric river dumping snow, at least none predicted when we made our plans.

As the Turtle has changed over these past few years, the crew has more than doubled.  And the mission for the team is teaching more than it is research, but when we are in the right place at the right time, we do both.  We planned on chasing a tornado each day, if our forecasts were accurate, and then breaking off the chase to observe the debris field and make calculations.

This trip had four high school freshmen on board the two vehicles and two seniors.  We were not intending on taking any big risks.

We had mostly small tornadoes in rural areas, but all the teenagers had a chance to be in the Turtle for at least one of these tornadoes.

Arabella was her usual goofy self, and Dr. Ellie had little choice as to who was the television channel “boss.”  With B.B. off due to maternity leave (baby not here yet, but no bouncing around in the Turtle allowed), that left the capable B Team replacement, Wilma.  But Hoople, Wilma’s codename, had become friends with Arabella (codename Fireball) last summer during a hurricane data collection on the Gulf Coast.  And when I say good friends, I mean friends from the goofy dimension or weird space.

Arabella would say something goofy and Wilma would say something goofier.  By the end of the second day, Dr. Ellie talked to Dr. Kildare.  She was going crazy.  Dr. Kildare took over the Turtle which scared Wilma into being a little mouse, but Arabella was undeterred.  At least the goofiness no longer expanded exponentially.

We had small twisters at first. Mostly tree damage, but even that produces a measurable debris field.  It was not until Thursday when we had the first tornado that did damage to a home.

That Thursday, there was not much damage, a little bit of roof damage.  The family might need to put a tarp over the damaged area, but in looking at it closely, they might not get any water leaks without the tarp, no holes, just tiles missing and torn tar paper.

The problem was that the family pet, a border collie, was missing.  We fanned out and established a coordinate system.  We looked for about an hour.  A faith-based organization had already arrived with a tarp back at the house.

And then we all heard Madison Dykstra scream.

She had found the dog.  The tornado had picked up the dog and thrown the dog against a tree.  The dog was dead.

Maddie was found near the dog, sobbing.

I went over and gave her a hug while Easy and Fred wrapped the dog in a dog blanket we found in their garage.  They took the dog back to the house and the owners did not want to even see the dog.  They asked Easy if he could take the dog and the dog blanket to a particular spot beyond the tree line and bury the dog deep.  They must have used that spot before.  There was a clearing with no tree roots to dig through.

They were farm folk.  They loved their animals, but they understood that the one guarantee in life is death.  Folks say death and taxes, but the animals do not pay taxes.  When Easy got back to the house, he told them that he and Fred staked out the perimeter so that there was a marked area where the dog was buried.  He knew they would not be erecting a headstone, but maybe the next pet would be buried next to it and not on top.

The home owners asked about Maddie.  She was still crying.  Easy said it was her first storm chase, and from the sound of things, it might be her last.  Who knows what hysteria there would be if it had been a person lost from the storm.

Meanwhile, I kept hugging and stroking Maddie’s hair.

Maddie kept saying, “I don’t like it here.  I want to go home.”  Then she would sob for a while and then say the same things again.

Dr. James Kildare told her that we only had one more day of chasing storms.  And then tomorrow night, we would drive all the way back.  Being back at Lily the Pink was home for most of us, except the Dykstra children, the Kildares and the Caseys who each had cars in the company parking lot.  We were going to let Matthew Dykstra crash on our couch.  Madison would crash on Wilma’s couch and Wilma and Mitzi would share a bed for the first time, not romantically.  That meant that only Mitzi would be awakened in the middle of the night, and maybe Sarah who shares a bedroom with Arabella.  None of us were taking the bet that Fireball could sneak in without waking her sister.

I would have to console Maddie, calm her down.  She was still shaky when we reached the hotel that night.  We usually had the three girls, Wilma, Maddie and Arabella, stay in one room, but I kept Maddie with Easy and me.  He took one bed and I slept next to Maddie in the other bed, having a two-queen room.  She was finally calm, but I had no idea whether she would have a nightmare.

We awoke early the next morning.  Dr. James had been running the radar screens, and there was something nasty brewing.  He announced that Maddie could stay in the Pink 6 and put some headphones on and listen to music if we had a debris field.

What we had been doing all week was investigating debris fields.  It was a learning experience to see how the National Weather Service (NWS) determines the strength of the tornado.  We would use the same observations and calculations.  Then, when the NWS made their observations and assigned an Enhanced Fujita scale number to each of the debris fields that we observed, we would know if our observations were consistent with theirs.

That last day, with Easy driving and Dr. Kildare on radar, Dr. Kildare guided the Turtle into position to get a lot of pictures, and sadly, I got video and still photographs of a small home practically exploding before my eyes.  Dr. Kildare was giving radar positioning.  Wilma was reporting the next available turnoff in case Easy had to stop and deploy shields.  It got rather intense.  Even Arabella refrained from acting goofy.

The trailing Pink 6 “Party Wagon” SUV stayed far behind the visible tornado.  Fred even lost sight of the Turtle a few times.  But when Fred drove around a corner and saw the Turtle on the side of the road, in someone’s driveway, he stopped for directions.  Dr. James said we would double back to check out the home that seemed to have exploded.

Whether Maddie liked it or not, we had to stop.  When we got there, we called out to see if anyone was in what was left of the home.  At first, there was no answer, but as I walked toward what looked like the bathroom and a closet, I heard a woman moaning.

An elderly widow, Eunice Taylor, had crawled between the toilet and the sink and hung on tight to the exposed pipes.  The tub, toilet and sink were the only things left of the house.  The wall that had the shower head was backed on the other side by half of a closet.  Mrs. Taylor had done the right thing.  She went to the inward most part of the house, to the bathroom, away from windows, and wedged herself among the fixtures.

She had a few bumps and bruises, but she was fine.

As strange as tornadoes usually are, there were two lawn chairs in the front yard, untouched.  I guided her to one of the chairs.  I went back to the Turtle and turned a mounted camera toward her.  I had no idea why, but I felt I needed to see what happened when all this tragedy became reality for Eunice Taylor.

I went back to her, and she assured me that she was fine.  She asked what we were doing.  I told her we were from a university a couple of states north of her location and we were examining the debris field for university and high school credits.  But we would also look for anything personal so that she could have those things as keepsakes.  She said for me to go do what I needed to do.  She wanted to be alone.  She did not seem to be under any stress.  Her blood pressure, pulse, and pulse-ox were all in a reasonable range considering what just happened.  Her eyes were responsive and not dilated.  She answered questions coherently.

I grabbed a canvas bag and went on my way to find anything that Mrs. Taylor would want to keep.  Mrs. Taylor had assured me that she had been alone and she had no pets.  The dog died about a month after her husband, and that was five years ago.

Easy had already called in observations to the Weather Service and 911.  He identified the downed power line.  He and Fred taped off the area so that no one got close to it.  They found the valves and got the gas and water shut off.

Then Easy went out with his own canvas bag, but he was on the phone again.  This time he made a call to Rev. Joseph Jones.  Easy asked No Joe is he could call his old disaster relief organization and see if someone could help Mrs. Taylor.  Joseph, codename No Joe, gladly made the call, and they were on the way.  They would get her a hotel to stay in and some clothing and a counselor to talk to.  That last part being what Joseph had done for them.

As I got into the nearby woods, I heard soft sobbing from behind me.  Reality was starting to come to Mrs. Taylor.

Dr. Ellie called out that she found some clothing.  That and the clothing that she found in the dryer that had been left there from the night before might be very good news.  Matthew Dykstra found what looked like a wedding picture in a large heavy frame.  That might have been the best news yet, but we kept looking.  Mercy found a decorative reusable shopping bag filled with prescription medicines.  There was no thought of a dead body.  This was a search for memories and the essentials of life.

But only observed by the Turtle’s camera, Maddie Dykstra emerged from the Pink SUV.  She tentatively walked to the extra lawn chair next to Mrs. Taylor.

Eunice asked why she wasn’t with the others.

Maddie said, “I was on the search yesterday, and I found the family’s dog.  It was …”  She mouthed the word “dead,” but no sound came from her mouth.

Mrs. Taylor nodded, “Was that the first time you ever saw a family pet that died like that?”

Maddie nodded, “Never saw a dead pet.  The only person I ever saw who had passed was my Beppe.  And that was almost four years ago, no over three years ago.  But she was in a casket, and she had been sick for as long as I could remember.  Yesterday, it was a shock since we were looking for a dog that might have just run away during the storm.  I heard you say you were the only one here, human or animal.  You lost a lot, but you still have your health.  ‘“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ (Matthew 6:19-21).”

Mrs. Taylor smiled, “You rattled that off like you were a preacher.  Is your father a preacher?”

Maddie smiled for the first time, “My uncle is, but my Pake and my new grandma have Bible studies every day.  They are always quoting Scriptures.”

Mrs. Taylor said, “I’m not familiar with some of the names you used, but how do you get a new grandma?”

Maddie sighed, “Beppe is grandma in Friesian.  Friesland is the northern most province of the Netherlands.  My Pake, that’s grandpa, but spelled P-A-K-E.  Pake’s grandfather came from the Netherlands and settled into the big city of Tracy.  But after Beppe died, my Dad thought Pake needed a caretaker in his retirement.  He was a travelling salesman, so they got him a travel buddy, and she left when he was laid off.  Then when Dad got the upstairs turned into an apartment, she came back, looking for Pake. They fell in love and just got married about six weeks ago, on Shrove Tuesday.  Mike Kildare was in the wedding party with me, and we learned how to do some swing dancing.  So, I came on this trip as his girlfriend, but we are just good friends.”

Mrs. Taylor asked, “Do you regret coming on the trip?”

Maddie said, “A little.  Last night all I wanted was to go home, but hearing you crying, all I want to do was sit here and talk to you.  I didn’t like seeing a dog that was dead, but you could have died.  There is almost nothing left of the house, but you are only bruised up a little.  Do you have family here?”

Mrs. Taylor said, “My husband does, but after he died, none of them came by to check on me.  I stopped going to church.  So, I don’t really have anyone to call on to help me.”

Maddie sighed, “I hope Easy called No Joe and B.B. No Joe knows people that can help, maybe rebuild the house, make it stronger.  But I think you are okay or Stinker would not have left you alone.”

Mrs. Taylor said, “That was a wonderful young lady.  Why do you call her Stinker?”

Maddie explained all the codenames.  Since she and Matthew and Mercy (Mercedes) were knew to storm chasing, they did not have a codename.  After hearing all the strange stories that led to the codenames, Mrs. Taylor was actually laughing.

Mike Kildare walked up pulling a small tree.  He said, “I found a couple of steak knives, but I don’t think we’ll get them out of the tree without damaging them.”  The two knives were both nearly buried up to the hilt in a four-inch diameter tree trunk, buried from opposite directions and making a cross.

Maddie snickered, “Mrs. Eunice Taylor, meet my almost boyfriend, Mike Lothrop Kildare.  His Mom married Dr. Kildare last summer.  His codename is…”

Mrs. Taylor laughed, “Terry, short for Terrarium.  And young man, you can have those steak knives.  My husband tried throwing those things at a target and said the knives were poorly balanced, couldn’t get them to stick in the target for love of money.  I was glad of that, because I had to wash them once he was done throwing them.  But when the tornado threw them at the tree, they seem to be well balanced.  That tells me that my late husband couldn’t throw a knife for love of money.”

All three laughed at that.  Michael said that he had some photos in his tote and some kitchen utensils.

Mrs. Taylor smiled at what she found in the tote, but there were tears in her eyes.  She showed Maddie a picture of her husband when he was a lot younger.  Maddie said he was a handsome man and tall.

Mrs. Taylor asked about the wedding pictures for Harold and Babs’ wedding and Maddie pulled out her phone.  She said that I was the wedding photographer and I might have the official ones on my laptop.  I did not, but Mrs. Taylor enjoyed Maddie explaining what everyone had done: Wilma throwing a handful of flower petals in the air, the entire wedding party doing swing dances, and how Pake and Grabbabs did a great dance themselves.  And how Mercy had caught the bouquet, but Maddie’s brother Matt wanted to go to college first.

Then, Mrs. Taylor asked, “You call your new grandmother, Grabbabs?”

Maddie laughed, “My cousins asked her what she wanted to be called, and Grabbabs did not want to be another Beppe.  We had one, and that memory should be preserved.  So, Jayke suggested Grand Babs, and then his little sister, Janella, said Grabbabs.  So, it stuck.  Grabbabs and I are great friends.  She and I talk about everything.  Pake thinks we are conspiring to do something naughty, but I have no filter with Grabbabs.  It is so refreshing to have an adult that you can say anything to.  Sure, we can pray to Jesus, but when I talk to Grabbabs, she gives me a hug.  I think if Grabbabs had been there yesterday, I would not have been such a cry baby.”

Mike said, “I understand what happened yesterday.  Seeing that kind of thing could weird out just about anybody.  This was your first storm chase.  If Stinker wasn’t hugging you, I would have.”

Maddie reached out and held Mrs. Taylor’s hands.  It looked like she was praying.  Then she let go and said, “You are getting a goose egg on your head, and it hurts.”  Then Maddie reached for her own left temple.

Mrs. Taylor, “Yes, Maddie.  It hurts a little bit, but did you feel it by holding my hands?”  Maddie nodded.  Mrs. Taylor said that Maddie might be an empath.

Maddie shook her head.  “We don’t believe in the occult.”

Mrs. Taylor laughed, “No, Maddie, some people simply share other people’s pain.  It means that they care for the other person a great deal.  And I feel better knowing that you care that much for me.”

Maddie took Mrs. Taylor’s phone and programmed her number into the contacts, and she programmed Mrs. Taylor’s number into her phone.  She promised to call.  At least, the cellphone would go wherever Mrs. Taylor was relocated.

When Dr. Ellie found out about the “empath,” she said that would be Maddie’s codename if Maddie wanted to continue going on storm chases.  Maddie nodded eagerly.  Maddie (codename Empath) was now a high school member of the Turtle team.

Easy got a saw from the tool compartment and sawed the tree so that Mike had a “cross” to show for show and tell.  What Maddie wanted to show was a photo that Dr. Kildare took that showed where Mrs. Taylor had ridden out the storm and the entire team around her.  And in the photo, Mrs. Taylor was smiling, holding the wedding picture that Matt had found.

We stayed with Mrs. Taylor until the faith-based organization had taken her and her possessions to the nearest hotel.

It would be very late when we arrived in Tracy, but the extra time finding as much as we could for Mrs. Taylor was worth it.  Dr. Kildare said that Maddie’s idea of exchanging phone numbers and making a few calls in the weeks to come should be part of our normal operation.  He was glad to have her on the team.  And on the trip home, Maddie and Mike sat in the back of the Pink 6 Party Wagon.  They sipped cider and talked about their great adventure together, and somewhere along the line, they became more than a boy and a girl who were friends.  The social media status became more accurate.  They became boyfriend and girlfriend.

Credits

I introduced the Pink 6 last summer.  It is a Lily the Pink SUV that seats six, thus the Pink 6.  It is the Party Wagon in that there is a refrigerator on board.  It was documented last summer that Mags Kildare takes a medicine that must be refrigerated, and Pink Lady allows the university to borrow the Party Wagon.  But taking the Party Wagon on a honeymoon might mean something totally different in the fridge.

My wife had empathic capabilities.  First, she had the temperament for it.  People who are both intuitive and feeling are sometimes referred to as “empathic.”  Intuitive people are those who base their value system on what could be rather than what their senses tell them, and Feeling people lean more towards their feelings about a topic than their sense of logic in developing their value system.  And as Christians should do, my wife also thought of others before thinking of herself, some of that may have come from her being the first daughter in a home that was influenced by Asian cultures.

But my wife had that ability to talk to someone about their pains and before the conversation was over, she felt those pains.  She did not like this ability because she did not take the pain away from the ailing person.  She just felt what they must have been feeling.  With others, she would smile and say nothing as her body began to ache.  With me, she did not want me moaning and groaning.  Each “ouch!” that I uttered added to her pain.

But down deep, being an “empath,” my wife loved others so much that she endured their pain.  She went beyond sympathizing to empathizing, knowing what it was like rather than just imagining the pain.