Wind

It's 3 in the morning and I can't go back to sleep. Laying in bed listening to the branches on the bush outside the bedroom window scraping against it in the wind is a constant reminder of how much I dislike living in this desert. We have been here for 21 years now and the one thing I dislike the most is the wind. Everything you do here requires the wind to be factored into the equation. Doesn't matter if it's sweeping the porch, washing the car, going for a walk, or planning a picnic or some other event outdoors the wind affects everything.

We went to Hawaii in 2005 for our 25th anniversary and as we were landing on Maui I could see the palm trees bending their fronds sharply in the wind. It was blowing so hard the pilot was having a hard time flying straight and we must have hit a little wind shear as it felt like we dropped straight down the last 20 feet or so. I though to myself "crap we came 3000 miles on this trip just to walk into the same thing we left". I was wrong. Walking through the terminal we could feel the breeze even before we got to the exit. As we walked out front and into the full force of the wind it was as though the air was embracing us. It seemed to hit with a comforting hug that wrapped around us and rejuvenated our souls, almost as though it was welcoming us to paradise. That sounds a little sappy I guess but that's exactly what it was like. The entire week we were there it was like that, always breezy and windy but always warm and comforting.

The wind here in the desert though is ruled by a different spirit. It's an angry and arbitrary foe that slashes the body and soul with a cold intensity that prickles the nerves. Something as simple as starting the barbecue has to be done with a mind to the wind. Turn the back of it to the south so the heat isn't swept out through the vents on the sides. Use something heavy to hold the table cloth down. Keep the napkin under your plate. Bend the aluminum can when it's empty or it will be across the yard. Like to have a nice outdoor furniture set with a big umbrella? Won't work here, it'll be blown into the next county the first time the wind picks up.

Plants and grass have a hard time here, at least for us. They will dry out in short order if not kept watered constantly and even then sometimes they just can't take it and give up. Washing the car is a sure way to get a shower for yourself as well. Sweep the porch? Garage? Ha! It blows back in as fast as you can sweep it out.

I know the atmospheric reasons for these conditions. It has to do with the pressure difference between the valley below and the open desert here and the mountains in between. It causes a funnel effect of sorts, at least that's how I understand it. I suppose I am exaggerating a bit as of course there are days when it's calm here. When it calm and the temperature is just right this place can be really beautiful. The sky is intensely blue and the fragrance of sagebrush fills the air. The mountain views are stunning. It seems though that as the years go by these kinds of days are becoming less frequent.

In the end I guess pretty much everyone no matter where they live could say the same sorts of things about their conditions. I've never experienced a hurricane in Florida, a tornado in Kansas, or a blizzard in the New York. I hope never do. But those places have their good days too. I'd like to visit Florida sometime to see the beaches and maybe the Keys. I've seen pictures of some really beautifully green places in New York. Kansas I don't know but I'm sure it must have some redeeming qualities.

Maybe I should just go back to bed and thank God that I have what I have and live in a free country no matter what the weather does.