Monday, January 16, 2012

And They Call The Wind Maria...

             In case you are not as old as me you probably don't know why the wind would be called Maria and you wouldn't know that is is pronounced Ma-ri-ah... so here .... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/They_Call_the_Wind_Maria   Where I live the wind blows all the time.  All the time.  I mean when the wind does not blow at least a little bit it is news and the weatherman points it out saying LOOK at our wind speed folks! Zero!  The weather is on as I type and the weatherman just said we are having gusts up to 60 mph.  That would be windy, folks!  It blew like that all night long and all yesterday. When my kids were in their early teens we went to Durango, CO to ride the train.... I guess this is going to be a post of links so here is another one... http://www.durangotrain.com/  anyway, the kids and I rode the train at Durango...one of the top ten days of my life!  We had sooo much fun!  When we drove into Durango and stopped at the hotel we were getting luggage out of the rented van when Trey said (seriously..and a little hesitant) "Mom, something is weird."  We all looked at him and he said look at that flag---it isn't moving.  Here were the five of us, standing in a parking lot, looking around and weirded out that there was NO WIND.  A totally new experience for us.  I have lived where the wind blows like a hurricane all my life so wind doesn't bother me too much, unless I have to drive on the highway---it makes your arms hurt just trying to keep your car in your lane. (every year at least one semi gets blown over on it's side here on I-40.  yep..seriously)  One of my earliest memories is as a little bitty girl walking home from probably 1st grade and the sand blowing so hard my arms and legs were covered in welts when I got home.  Back in the dark ages girls had to wear dresses to public school (I was a Jr in high school before we could wear pants to school....Lordy, that was a different time than now)  John Rich of the country duo Big and Rich grew up here in Amarillo.  A while back he was on whatever reality TV show Donald Trump has....I didn't watch because Donald Trump creeps me out....but someone asked Mr. Rich if Donald Trump intimidated him.  He said something to the effect of heck no! I don't scare easy! I grew up in a double wide in Tornado Alley!  Well, I live in a single wide in Tornado Alley and normally don't pay much attention to the wind.  Last night about 1 a.m. though the wind was sounding pretty ferocious so I got up and got my car keys, my purse, cell phone, Crocs, and the dogs' 72 hour kit and put by the bed just in case.  Your dogs don't have a 72 hour kit????? Look over there on the right and find my list of labels.  Click on "emergency" and look at the second entry that will pop up...my dogs' backpack.  Your pets need one.  Well, I didn't blow away.  While I was laying in bed though I thought about this time at the library when we had a microburst. Here is another link in case you don't have microbursts where you live.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microburst  I don't remember what the weather was doing that day, just a normal day I think but someone came in the library and said our car windows were broken.  I worked at the main library downtown, a large 3 floor building and I worked on the second floor.  We walked down the hall to the front of the building to look out a window and I have never felt such an eerie feeling....out in the parking lot all 30 or 40 cars had at least one busted window....front windshield, or back depending on the direction you were parked.  A few unlucky people had both broken.  I don't mean just cracked, I mean my back windshield was completely blown out and the pieces crammed in my air conditioner vents in the front dash.  Everyone's was like that, along with most of our side mirrors.   It was just unbelievable!  My boss and I went out there and the wind wasn't blowing at all!  It was eerie quiet.  We wondered if a gang of kids had come through with baseball bats....no, someone would have seen them before they were able to strike every single vehicle.  It was just unreal.  The police and the news reporters came and told us it was a microburst.  Of the parking lots downtown we were almost the only one to sustain any damage.    When the wind is blowing hard I also think about the time it blew my fence down.  The wind blowing down sections of 6 ft solid wood fencing is a common occurance here.  I was home on sick leave having just had a hysterectomy when the wind blew a section of my fence down right on top of my little girl schnauzer, Maggie.  I went out there and lifted that section of fence off my dog.  I have to tell you, a section of solid pine fence weighs quite a bit, especially when you have to pick it up in a strong wind, by yourself, and you have just had surgery.  Why would she have been out in a strong wind like that??? Well, because the wind blows all the time!  When you have got to go, you have got to go and you can't wait for the wind to stop!

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