A clap of thunder woke me up early Tuesday morning.

It was just past midnight and I actually had not been in bed long.

Normally a summer thunderstorm can make for a perfect night of sleeping but alas a scary thought popped in my mind.

Our swimming pool!

You remember our new pool, don’t you?

Thanks to Nelson Livingston, we finally found a level place for it.

After draining 3,000 gallons out of it and moving it, things had gone pretty well.

Marie and Lauren have gotten in the pool several times and I finally jumped in the other day.

Even though I pride myself on being an amateur meteorologist and knew it could storm overnight Monday, I did not have time to move stuff away from the pool after a late-night trip to Wal-Mart.

Well, I guess I had time but I was just too tired when we got back and I was hoping against hope some of the storms would die off without the daytime sun.

They didn’t.

I guess the air was just too unstable.

Anyway, I had left beside our pool numerous lawn chairs and items that looked like giant daggers just waiting to puncture the rubber sides as they were illuminated by the constant strobe lightning.

I thought about making a mad dash into the storm to the pool some 50 yards from our house to save it.

But it would have taken about 15 minutes to gather all that stuff up and I thought my chances of getting hit by lightning while pulling a metal ladder out of a pool were too high.

I decided to let the pool take its chances even when a SECOND thunderstorm rolled through about an hour later!

When I got to work to tell my funny story, Pam Thomason had one better.

She too was awake early Tuesday morning worrying about her pool as the storm rolled through Sweetwater.

Pam of course is married to Madisonville reporter Michael Thomason.

Evidently, the Madisonville reporter makes a lot more than the Sweetwater reporter because Mike and Pam have a much bigger pool.

Maybe he makes more because the Cracker Barrel left Sweetwater but Madisonville still has a Wal-Mart?

Maybe it’s because he covers Tellico Plains, too?

OK, I am just messing with you.

He does not make anymore than I do—we are both starving but starving with pools.

Anyway, I am rambling because I am tired and did not sleep last night.

Long story short: Pam got up, got out of bed and braved the lightning to bring in a big float because she was afraid it would blow down to Oakland Road and cause somebody to wreck.

Meanwhile, I was in bed cowering.

From now on no matter how tired I am I will put all that stuff up every night.

You never know when it will storm and sometimes it can storm twice in one night!

tommy.millsaps@advocateand democrat.com | 337-7101