Wild and funny ride!

Last night we had another of those Spring storms the south is known for.  We knew it was approaching, but with 80 + weather it was hard to think about a ...storm?

As the evening grew closer, the clouds started pouring in and the wind really kicked up.  Soon, it was too hard to ignore that it was coming...but too warm to actually close the windows.  (and since we knew a really cold front was behind it, no need to turn on the A/C!)

Hubby had taken the kids fishing; and then a second trip with our Son in Law.  They were just getting back from their fishing excursion when the kids went to bed.  We still had an hour or so before we needed to start worrying about the storm, so all was fine.  However, the wind was so bad I had to lock the deadbolts to keep the doors closed.

Hubby got home from the clean up of the fish (but, knowing him, NOT the clean up of the mess!) around 11...just as the storm was about to hit.  We watched the approaching storm on the tv (that is when the satellite  didn't go out!), and made the decision to get the kids up and go to the basement around midnight.

Now, at this time it actually had just started raining a bit.  We decided to go down really early!  But the weather man was painting a doom and gloom picture of what was happening around us, so we decided to be safe rather than sorry.

We have an office that is built in an interior room of our basement.  In fact, you can't hear ANYTHING from outside when you are down there.   We have recliners in there for the kids to sleep in, so they were all toasty and happy.Well, the dogs don't like it down there, so we had a bit of trouble keeping them down.  I suggested we turn off the light in the stair way (since they are both a bit of chickens in the dark!)

Hubby decided it would be better to close the door leading to the stairway.  Now...before I go any farther, you have to know that the doors on both sides of the stairway lock.  At top and bottom.  It is for security purposes.  When the house was built, the basement was an unfinished area.  At the top of the stairs is a lock that you can easily pop...like a bedroom or bathroom lock; while at the bottom, it requires a key to go up.

Whenever I close that door I always check to make sure it is not locked.  In fact, I rarely close it when I am downstairs.  (I think you can see where this is heading!  LOL)

After the storm was over (more or less) we were ready to head back upstairs.  I woke up the kids and hubby was going to go on up to fix another cup of coffee.  Yup, you guessed it!  The door to upstairs was locked from the other side and we didn't have the key with us.

Normally this would't have been an issue...since we rarely lock the back door to the kitchen.  But this time all the exterior doors were locked with the deadbolt!

Now, hubby likes to think of himself as a McGyver type.  So, he proceeded to try and pick the lock.  No luck.  Then he decided to use a knife to jimmie the lock.  No luck.  Then he decided to take the hinge bolts out (why are they on THAT side of the door anyway??!)  Well, he got them out, but the door still wouldn't budge!

He went back to my studio...I thought to see what other tools I had to work with.  No, he went out the basement door, in the rain, up to the kitchen to make sure the deadbolt was locked.  It was.  (by this time the kids were back asleep in the office and I was thinking of turing on the sewing machines to do a bit of work!)

After a few minutes,(a little after 1am) we started hearing a lot of commotion upstairs (yes, it woke up the kids).  You have to know that during the worst of the storm we could not hear a thing from outside.  At one time they said it was almost a continuous lightning strike!

Down the stairs comes hubby....he had broken into my house through the kitchen window.  It was the only one he could find unlocked!  When he went to open the stairway door to 'free' us from the basement...he forgot that the pins were out of the hinges and almost knocked himself in the head with the door!

So, now my basement door is sitting in the basement entry way.  I think it will stay there for quite some time.  And...I am sure that the next time hubby closes a door he will check to see if it is locked from the other side first!

Nini