My gosh, but it was windy Tuesday. We should all be used to “windy” by now. And, I thought I was. But not something so strong it darn near knocked me down!
I started out happily enough for my walk, but it quickly turned into a dire undertaking. The wind was howling up on the hill where I walk. The lane serves as a sort of funnel for wind from the west or south.
Before I’d gotten 25 steps, I stopped and looked around in awe. The trees on either side of the lane were swaying, almost down to the road. I could hear far-off branches cracking. This scares me. I don’t have many fears on that road (mama bear with cubs; that’s about it), but the other big fear is being knocked down and out by a falling limb. I know someone who died from that.
Whenever a mighty wind knocks a big limb off a tree, or a small one, I try to move it. There are people who drive down that lane occasionally. Sometimes, the limbs are so big I just have to leave them there and hope for the best for everyone.
By the time I got just a short way – to the little structure that looks so broken down a brisk breeze might take it out, I had to stop. And truly, the wind just about knocked me down. I could barely move forward.
Now, I have a “low center of gravity.” I am short. I am sturdy. I have a pretty good chance of staying on my feet.
But, I got scared. This was just way out of the ordinary. I turned around to give up my walk and head back to the car. I didn’t have to hustle: the wind, blowing from the south and west, actually pushed me on my way. It was the shortest walk of my life, other than, say, to the refrigerator.
When I reached the end of the road, and the highway, I got a surprise. An outhouse that had been set up in a shop parking lot, so that road workers had somewhere to “go,” was turned end over end and laying on its side. Wow! I sure hope no one was in there at the time. Imagine that! Not a good day.
I couldn’t help but peek into the open hole in the bottom of the potty as I drove by, and now I really wish I had not. Enough said.
I finally went back at about 5:30, hoping the wind had died down, and indeed, it had … a little bit. It was still tough going. I looked at the horses in the field, and their manes and tails were blowing wildly in the breeze. It didn’t stop them from grazing, though.
Oh, a surprise mighty wind … you gotta love it, unless you’re right there in the midst of it!
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