Wind

The wind was blowing hard the other day, in a hurry to fill in a gap left by an autumnal front.  It blew all day and all night, cleaning up the neighborhood.  A windy day is a lazy (or quiet) man's leaf blower.  But where did all the leaves go?  Maybe some unlucky soul in San Antonio is raking my leaves right now.

A really good windy day always whips up memories of my wind-blown Kansas upbringing.  Lengthy hair brushing sessions to tease out knots that the wind tied during recess.  Playing Charlie's Angels on the protected south side of the "shelter belt" of my Grandparent's farm and later climbing through and into the deep snow drifts on the north side only to finally realize why it was called a shelter belt.  The embarrassed teenage run from the car into church (in my memory it was always windy on Saturdays) holding down my skirt and worrying about my hair.  The constant (CONSTANT!) wind on Mt. Oread, slamming open the doors of the University buildings and pushing me, sleepy and unwilling, to early morning lectures.  The hypnotic dance of the tall grass, blown down and up and down again by the pollen-scented fall breeze. 

It's quite still here today.  The wind has found someone else's yard to sweep.  All the leaves on the maple tree in the backyard remain, green and stubborn.  But they can't hang on forever and we're watching for them to fall at last in dry, fluffy sheets.  We have big plans for giggly jumping piles and a crunchy leaf snowman.

Comments

[Mom]

Thanks for your thoughtful essay! A nice send-off to a busy work day.

[beki]

I love your description of the wind. We had wind down here too the other day, something I'm not used to. It was nice for a while because it was different.

[estea]

ah good times.

don't forget the static - omg the static cling! if you had long stringy hair like me, there was a constant aura of electrical-induced frizz around your head. ack.

[laeroport]

What a lovely, poetic post, Amy. And the wind is STILL blowing on Mt. Oread.

Cheers!
Lori

[Lauri]

Believe me, the wind blew them all right through San Antonio into parts south!

It always amazes me how things like winds and thunderstorms as so different here in SA than they are in Houston. Storms there are much more frequent and happen all the time. They don't happen nearly as often here, but when they do, LOOK OUT! So much stronger, so much more lightening...and always more wind, thunderstorm or no.

[Angela]

What a beautifully written post Amy. I think I was swaying while reading it, with a smile on my face too! Have a good weekend. ;-)

[capello]

the wind in lawrence just pushes one around. pushes you to class, pushes you off campus, pushes you into the bars...

[Alicia A.]

Beautiful and thoughtful.

[Sarah]

A beautiful entry, Amy. I can almost feel the wind at my back now. I love the wind. I do!

[Megan]

I so love your photos.