That Damn Wind

February 17, 2006

One of the things that we are learning about New Mexico is that there are some pretty fierce winds here, especially for those folks who live along the canyon down slopes. Looking back, experience tells us that the springtime is especially bad, but as you can see from the tossed lawn items, winter can be no picnic either.

This is an insert entry - I've gone back in time and placed the image and my thoughts into the diary, long after the events took place. So the fact is, we've had six years now since this incident to appreciate the fact that yes, the winds really do howl across the plains, and down the mountain for that matter.

You can't see it here, but the top of the hutch behind the charcoal grill lies in pieces behind me in the grass.

It really didn't fit the decor of our house, so we decided we'd leave it out under the protected back sitting area. A lot of good that did. What was once a thousand dollar piece of furniture has been reduced to smashed oak.

And so it goes, I turned the grill upright, but the left front door was too bent at the hinges to reattach. I decided this shouldn't happen again and I lined the bottom of the grill with bricks - 11 in all, thinking that we would be safe with all that weight.

That was till the fall of 2011, when the winds at night raced through the canyon in speeds between 50 and 70 miles per hour, once again up-ending the grill and tossing all the other furniture around like match sticks.

When it blows here, we smile and look at each other and say "that damn wind," tongue in cheek, because we'll still take the wind over humid still air, any day of the week.

It's just the nights that kind of wreck things around here.