Wind

June 11, 2020

When I went out to water this morning the wind was blowing hard for Arkansas.  My vegetables were being blown around and the tree branches were matted to the south.  I checked to make sure the plants were alright and then went about watering.  Even though they were not being damaged by the wind, I know windy days suck water from the leaves and quickly dry the soil.  I gave all my plants an extra dose of water and restacked the mulch to help support my potatoes.  That done I put the hose up and went inside.

The reason I say “for Arkansas” is because a 15 to 20 mile per hour wind is normal for the Kansas plains I come from.  Melissa and I used to ride our bikes along the river trail that was near our house in Wichita.  We took off one morning and enjoyed the wind in our face as we breezed along on our trip to the dam.  When we turned around, we struggled.  We were peddling as hard and fast as we could and did not seem to be making any progress.  When we finally made it home, I checked the weather app on my phone and found out why.  We had a steady wind of 35 miles per hour with gusts up to 50.

It turns out it was a good thing I was concerned enough to recheck my plants.  When I walked onto the porch, I noticed water pooling by the door.  As I went outside, I quickly knew why.  I had forgot and left the hose on after I had watered.  We have a self-winding hose caddy, but it only works if the water is on.  I had earlier replaced the fixture but the hose itself has a small hole in it which creates a small but steady stream of water that points toward the screened in porch.  As I shut the water off, I thought I should check again later to see how things are going.

THOUGHTS:  Wind can be both good and bad.  The sheer winds that come down the canyons in Utah can reach over 100 miles per hour and literally rip the roofs off of houses.  Wind is the power that moved ships and commerce across the seas and around the world prior to the invention of the steam engine.  The unrest we now face can be understood in a similar light.  America was born amid the riots and insurrection of the Revolution and the Constitution was written by the founding leaders demanding that right whenever injustice occurs.  We are in a different time, but the wind still blows.  If you venture out, stay safe.