For the third time since we met, M and I had to hunker in the basement due to an oncoming tornado.

The first time was last October. We were watching TV when our phones began shrieking with an alert ordering us to TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. After gathering the cat carriers and finding/scooping up the kitties, we headed into the basement to wait. Twenty minutes later, we received the “all-clear” and walked back upstairs, relieved it was over with nary any damage to our property.

Alas, the second time took place about an hour after the first. We’d freed the furballs and returned to our show when our phone alarms began to sound again. Back into the basement we all went.

The third time was on a Sunday last month. Because I follow weather news, I knew our area was under a tornado watch. Before I went to bed, M grabbed five cat carriers and set them up in the dining room, just in case. I left some clothes at the bottom of my bed, also just in case. Then, I went to sleep. It wasn’t easy, of course, but since I was scheduled to work that night, I had no choice.

My time in Morpheus’s realm was fraught. I’m not even sure I made it to the front gates; it was as if my brain knew trouble was on the horizon and didn’t want me to sleep too deeply.

At 5:45 p.m. (or 5:45 a.m. in my world), my phone’s tornado alert became a loud and demanding wake-up call. I leaped out of bed, dressed and opened the bedroom door. Just as I did so, M opened his office door, apparently en route to wake me. Instead, we calmly but quickly walked downstairs and began the mad process of corralling the cats and getting everyone into the basement. Our current record time, from shriek to shelter, stands at 8 minutes.

We’ve been together for 18 years and married for nearly 15. For much of that time, we’ve resided in New Hampshire, a place that’s not exactly known for having a tornado season. Oh sure, we come up against the occasional blizzard, ice storm or hurricane, but for the most part, the major natural disasters that plague other parts of the country are rarely felt here.

Thanks to climate change, however, historic patterns are no longer reliable. Which is why we plan to always have a basement in whatever home we own. If twisters are going to make regular appearances in New England, the Walker-Weir family intends to have a safe place to wait and hope that this too will eventually pass.