Stormy weather, tree damage, and power outages hold no fear for me anymore

I went in on Thursday last week to check on a pulled muscle in my chest, and ended up with a surprise chest x-ray, CT scan and blood tests to make sure there were no mets that had crept up when we weren't looking. My family physician (the best at UNMC, hands down) joked with me that she might be calling for a CT scan for what might not turn out to be anything more than a case of shingles - but the circumstances called for it (thanks, Dr. P). About 4:15 on Friday afternoon, we were told that the report showed no cancer, nothing out of the ordinary since my last CT scan in 2006. Pretty cool news (thanks for meeting with us, Lois). About 4:45, we were at a grocery store, and the tornado warning sirens went off. Nothing out of the ordinary in the midwest on a summer day - you just take cover. But then the wind came up, and the rain and the hail. The parking lot looked like a hurricane shot on the Weather Channel - you could not see your car that was 15 feet from the store window. Trees were bent over by the wind like a row of Allen wrenches. Power went out. Tried the cell phone to reach number one son, but it was busy, meaning lines were clogged. Storm passed, and with the remaining power trickling to the computers in the store, we checked out and drove home. What greeted us there was a new skylight in our kitchen, courtesy of the maple tree in the back yard. When I surveyed the damage, it wasn't that big a deal for me. Paying an arborist to remove the tree from the roof - sure, no problem. Locating and paying for someone to repair the hole in the ceiling and sheathing - you bet, we will do it. After what we had faced for 24 hours, my 36 hours with no power was a walk in the park. We now have power, unlike many in Omaha at the moment. But lack of power did not keep me from The Good Life. I doubt anything ever will. My appreciation goes to our Omaha Public Power District for their round the clock work, and the Arbor One Tree Service (no website that I could find) that labored to remove the trunk that was giving me a rustic theme to my kitchen. And of course to the health professionals that once again looked me over, and didn't find anything of interest. Man, I love being boring to health professionals. Here's to everyone getting back to their normal life. I am so glad I get to do that, too.