This is why I have gray hair

Well, actually, I don't have gray hair. I have pleasantly light brownish, sun-streaked sort of hair. But left to its own devices, it would probably be gray. And getting grayer by the minute.

I came home from work earlier this week and the Farmer said, "I got hit by lightning today."

WTF!!!!

Really, this is not the sort of thing one expects to hear when one asks, "And how was your day, honey?"

Then he admitted he hadn't actually got hit by lightning but lightning did hit a tree about 50 feet away from him and the blast was so powerful it knocked him off his feet. He said chunks of bark and limbs went flying. So did he. He thought he'd broken his wrist because he landed on it when he fell but it turned out to just be really bruised. It wasn't even raining at the time, although a thunderstorm cell was starting to push into the area.

Of course I gave him my best "safety first" lecture, the same one they gave us at National Weather Service storm spotter training. Lightning is dangerous! A couple of hundred thousand volts of electricity coming out of the sky is not going to do anyone any favors.

Being a typical man, the Farmer obviously needed a near death experience before listening to anything his wife tells him. I reminded him about the JW Memorial Training Building I am going to build with his life insurance policy if he goes out and does something stupid like actually getting hit by lightning the next time. He gave me the big eye roll.

Here's a scene from a much less stormy day this fall. The Farmer is at the top of the grain bin steps, checking the grain level while unloading soy beans from truck to bin.