1979 - Tornado and Fried Green Tomatoes

1979 - The Tornado and the Fried Green Tomatoes

Ann and her girls were staying with me after she had divorced her first husband, Heinz. We had decided we would have a yard sale.

We had set everything up, including a tent which we were going to sell; when a tornado warning came over the radio. We closed up the yard sale; putting most of our items inside the tent so they would stay dry.

We went in and started cooking supper because we didn’t know how close that tornado was and I get nervous and start cooking. We fixed pork chops, mashed potatoes, and fried green tomatoes. We had turned the two green love seats upside down in the living room to get under in case the tornado hit.

We had just started to sit down to eat when it got as dark as night outside and the wind started howling. When they say a tornado sounds like a freight train they are telling the truth. We made the girls get under those two love seats; but Ann and me were too nervous to get under there with them and stay.

I was nervous and hungry and I kept going into the kitchen and grabbing one of those fried green tomatoes. They sure were tasty. I was reaching in and low and behold I found another hand in that bowl doing the same thing I was; reaching for another fried green tomato. But much too both our surprises there was only one of those fried green tomatoes left. There was nothing to do but to share it.

When the storm had gone on to the next county and the girls got out from under those two love seats they accused us of putting them under there just so we could eat all those fried green tomatoes by ourselves. To this day when a tornado warning sounds the girls will say, “Is someone frying green tomatoes?”

That storm cut through right in front of the house. It had picked up our tent and carried it across the yard. Everything in it was ruined.