Missouri's Annie Oakley

[schwei]

Sometime in the late 60's, the Unc had a disaster involving a tornado at his house in Farmington. I remember getting a phone call, mom saying, "Oh no! We're coming!" We frantically packed some things, got in the car, and on the way mom told me the Unc's house was hit by a tornado. We arrived just a little before dark and noticed a bunch of cars going up and down the country road that was usually pretty quiet.  We pulled in the driveway and saw the Unc sitting outside in a chair. He explained that there were looters everywhere and he was just trying to be visible. As it got dark, I seem to remember he set up some lights in the yard and said that he and I would go to a friend's house to get a shower. Mom asked what she should do. The Unc told her to be visible and he gave her a revolver. He told her that if she had it she will be ok. We showered and returned and there was mom looking alert holding the revolver. The Unc took it and she said, "I was really worried about shooting myself" (or something to that effect). The Unc said, "I wasn't worried. It wasn't loaded!"

Memories of the tornado's effects:
I remember the house had the whole roof removed except for the bedroom and bathroom. The kitchen had a wall missing but the grocery list was still on the table. Part of the chimney, about 2 feet, was removed and balanced on a 2x4 laying across the roofless walkway (like a short hallway). I remember being told not to walk there. The worst part was the Unc sold the house and was about to move. Needless to say, the sale was off. He rebuilt and sold for more. Stories of grass being driven into phone poles and cows being run through with wood were everywhere. Tornadoes are weird.