Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Right on schedule

Spring officially arrived yesterday, and so did the wind.

Hank and George and Alan and Lucy stayed in the barn all day.


Who could blame them? It was awful. How windy was it? 
So windy that the poop was blowing off the scoop when I tried to clean the corral at lunchtime.
So windy that I kept checking on the chickens to make sure they hadn't blown away.
So windy that I was scared and wishing I didn't have to deal with it by myself. Now that's windy.


Poor Smooch. She insists on going outside with me so she can watch my every move. 
Perhaps I should get her goggles for days like this.  

The winds subsided a tiny bit as the sun started to go down, and the boys and Lucy
ventured out to see what they'd been missing all day.

Lucy: My nose is running, I can't open my eyes, and my ear is blowing over!


Me: Hurry, George! Catch my hat before it blows to Tucumcari!


Alan: Holy crap! This wind is blowing the dust right off of me! Make it stop, mom!


At day's end, Hank was drafting for his troops, in search of greener pastures,
and I had come to my senses.  If I can handle minus 27, I can handle wind.

35 comments:

  1. I've always liked big winds, it helps the trees do disco. But when that desert sand kicks up you've got to head for cover!

    Hope you caught your hat in time!

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  2. Yikes, you sure have some SERIOUS winds there!

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  3. That's a lot of wind! It was so windy up in the mountains one time that a couple of corral roofs blew off!

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  4. yes but...the wind was terrible and scary yesterday even here in Burque. All of my outdoor decorations are spread through the neighborhood this morning.....I love warmer weather.....I hate the wind. The Olde Bagg

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  5. Ahh those March winds! They dry up all the huge snow puddles around these parts. They are a rude introduction to spring.
    Best always, Sandra

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  6. Wind, dirt and EVERYTHING else that wasn't tied down came through here yesterday. (Western Slope of Colorado). Love the picture of Lucy with runny nose etc. and Alan ..heck I like ALL the pictures. Hank leading the troops out (by size no less). Lets hope today is a little better, but IT IS SPRING in the WEST. Hugs and Kisses to the family. Smooch, needs his glasses on, I agree.

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  7. PS: Carson, I forgot to say that you have captured the feeling of dust and wind with the sepia color that comes through on your photos. Your blue hat really makes a statement after all.
    Best always, Sandra

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  8. The mesa near Los Lunas is open and flat. The wind (and tons of dust) blew everything around -- the patio furniture is reorganized, even some wood blew off the wood holder. The dogs went outside rarely. The drive back from the office was unpleasant in my Element. The blue toaster is particularly susceptible to wind. We had a 30% chance of rain last night -- but that never happened -- sigh!

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  9. I love what you did with these pictures... the one of Alan is my favorite. :)

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  10. The winds have been terrible and not much better today. We have a wildfire going in the foothills will evacuation orders. Glad the troops were able to get out of the barn and enjoy the pasture. They need dust masks for their eyes, ears and nose.

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  11. Your wind yesterday will be our wind tomorrow.

    Smooch definitely needs goggles. Poor guy.

    DI

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  12. I kind of like hearing the wind howling, but only from inside the house. It was really something yesterday--we couldn't see the mountains all afternoon and were in a big brown cloud that went right down to the ground. All the humans I know were thinking, along with Lucy: "My nose is running, I can't open my eyes, and my ear is blowing over!"

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  13. eeek!! that looks a wee bit scary!
    theresa in Alberta

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  14. Aaaw, poor Linda alone to face the elements... but you were not alone: Smooch was guarding you!

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  15. I like to borrow from Winnie the Pooh for Windsdays. Here in the Bluegrass spring sometimes means violent thunderstorms. Of course they can happen any time of year. Fronts butt heads around here often in spring.

    The chickens are birds, should be aerodynamically designed with the feathers and all. Plus, close to the ground. I don't think they will blow away unless they are already in the air :)

    Green is popping out all over. Leaves opening on climbing rose, star magnolia buds opening. Seventies again today. Happy birds.

    Thanks for braving the wind to get those shots. Love them.

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  16. Yup...I can see that you had wind. We also had it - our highest gust was 46, but I never could capture the dust on film.
    Alan looks so forlorn in his picture. Love his nostrils!

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  17. I can relate. We had some awful winds here yesterday and the forecast is for more today! I keep looking outside to make sure my hens haven't been tossed across the yard!

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  18. Wind I can handle. 8 inches of heavy snow on the first day of spring I have trouble with...lots of trouble!

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  19. Oh myyyyy..... it's completely beyond all of my experiences to imagine a dust storm of this strength and magnitude.
    I don't care for strong gusts of wind around here because of our really tall Douglas Fir trees surrounding our house, but these winds rarely happen because of how we are situated on our hill. You are just smack out in the middle of it. And when I read the sentence "So windy that I was scared and wishing I didn't have to deal with it by myself,"
    I know just how bad this wind really was.
    Really glad everything's ok. You really did pull out the perfect weather for my visit, didn't you? (thank you). :-)

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  20. Wind is not my fav...but when it's got dust in it too, that's my biggest pet peeve...yuck.

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  21. Wow, never saw wind like that even when we lived in Ks !! The look on Alan's face cracked me up and poor thing had a runny nose :) You keep me in stitches with your "daily comedy strip" Thanks for making my day !! Your SC friend

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  22. Did my door mat head your way (from Arizona!)?

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  23. HOLY COW!! Now that is some wind! I don't blame you, that would have made me a little scared also. Hope you didn't have any roof damage. It is hitting us here in Oklahoma today, but not near as bad. I vote "Yes" that Smooch does need some goggles for future wind storms. :)

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  24. It's been windy here too. Yuck. I love your donks!!!!

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  25. Smooch definitely needs some doggie goggles - poor baby :( Those nasty, dusty winds get in every crack & crevice. Yuck!!

    LOVE the pic of the troops heading out - in perfect herd order! Lucy fits in so perfectly, doesn't she?

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  26. I think you would enjoy a "serious" weather station...it would help you predict weather changes too. I must look at mine at least a dozen times a day!

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  27. Gosh! That's serious wind that blow the dust right off of you!!!

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  28. Do you have to worry about "Valley Fever" when it gets windy?

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  29. That wind blows right out of the photos! Lucy is amazing, as are the boys who wrapped her right in their family herd!

    Nancy in Iowa

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  30. HATE wind. Hate wind and rain even worse!
    27 degrees! Really! ugh!

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  31. Wow! We've had the wind also, but have a bit more grass on the ground than you. Alan and his nostrils...LOL. Smooch needs to wear her sunglasses :)

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  32. If the wind made you nervous then I know it would have terrified me! I'm a little bit of wuss when it comes to weather......

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  33. Whoa! That is some serious wind. Glad we didn't get that here. Hope you caught your hat before it left the state.

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  34. It was really windy here this weekend also. I was out in it for too long and ended up missing work on Monday with a miserable headache from too much sun, too much wind and dust, too much pollen.

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  35. Im a few days late in commenting but there is a product called "Doggles" they are goggles for dogs; to keep the wind and sand, dirt and debris out of our faithfull companions eyes. I don't personally use them on my dog since she can escape from a muzzle while at the vets office.

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