"O wind, if winter comes can spring be far behind?" -Percey Shelley
Well, the wind came this week. Three straight days of the cursed stuff. Howling during the day, moaning at night until finally it blew in the blessed snow and stopped. Something about the wind just leeches the juice right out of me. Dries me up like a prune.
Wind has been on my mind of late and came to the forefront of my orb this week. My daughter in law Melissa recently proclaimed her love of the wind and we discussed it one Sunday evening as a family. Her husband and my son Sam and I along with some friends, took a desert hike in a strong wind a few weeks back and loved the hike in spite of it.
On day two of the blast this week, I took my usual walk on a trail above Salt Lake City. This wasn't a cooling, dancing summer breeze, mind you but a stiff steady 30mph 'er with gusts up to 50. Part of the trail goes right beside a busy freeway and I imagined drive by chuckles at Jerry-at-an-Angle, bracing and trying to walk at the same time. Dust kicked up, blew in my eyes and air borne debris stung my face. I was mildly amused at articles flipping and gyrating in the air, out of control and worried about their future. I watched an unleashed kite dive and pitch by on its way to Kansas, plastic bags looking desperately for a fence, and a long piece of tp twisting like a snake in very strong current.
The valley below was cloudy with with dust, the mountains above me blurred. Walking with the wind at my back was also a show as I lurched forward trying to negotiate through the gusts.
Driving home, I got to thinking that it wasn't all that bad. I walk in all four seasons, am a nature lover and thus should appreciate all she has to teach me. Re-thinking Melissa's wind love, I pulled in to the driveway and was confronted with three overturned trash barrels spewing their contents all over ours and the neighbors yards and to the dusty sky above. As I chased I changed my mind back again.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
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