Monday, January 16, 2012

Funny sorta day...

The clouds blew out of here - temporarily, from the looks of things - around eleven. And I do mean blew.

I've often said that our little patch of paradise only has four kinds of weather:

*Too damn cold
*Too damn windy
*Too damn hot
*Too damn wet

Not that it has to be only one of those at any given time. This morning, as is often the case when it's cloudy overnight, the temperature was quite moderate. But when the wind started howling, the reading on a thermometer really stopped mattering. I went over to Landlady's this morning to wash some clothes, and by the time I finished a load the notion of hanging it on a line outside was ridiculous. I need those clothes, and don't want to donate them to Wyoming. I had trouble just getting it out of the washer intact.

I once saw wind so strong that it blew a car down the street, without benefit of driver. Of course that was at the height of a Florida hurricane. I'm assuming it was a manual and the poor schmuck forgot to set the brake. I was just a little kid, and at the time I was impressed. This morning, from a clear blue sky, the wind sent a gallon gasoline jug flying across my yard. While it was full of gas. What's the drag coefficient on a plastic gasoline jug? I'm guessing not that high. It knocked over a wheelbarrow of firewood - okay, they're pretty unstable anyway. It knocked over both burn barrels. My little cabin is smoky, because the smoke can't always make it up the pipe. The Secret Lair is framed with 2X6 lumber on concrete pilings - occasional gusts make it shake. And I'm down in a hollow. On top of Landlady's ridge, actual property damage is not unusual when the wind gets to acting up.

Not even Ghost wants to go outside today.

9 comments:

DonkeyBuster said...

Jah, the wind.
We've had the wind lift the lid off our stalls & sail the roof (12x24 propanel on steel) 100'. Amazingly little damage, so we were able to disassemble & put it back on. Doubled up on the welds & hope to make it thru 'til we get the other side of the barn up.

Bah, humbuggery. You left out *Too damn dry...

Anonymous said...

If I find any clothes blown up here to Colorado, I'll mail them back to you. Full gas cans I'll keep. K ;}

MamaLiberty said...

Don't send your clothes to Wyoming, Joel. We'd never find them to send back!

-8 degrees here at 4AM - all the way up to -5 by 8. Should reach a high of 11, I hope. But there's no wind... so I'm not complaining. :)

Tam said...

I hate wind.

When I am queen of the universe, I'm banning it. Rain, snow, sun, heat, and cold can stay, but wind is going away.

Kite fliers will just need to find another hobby.

Claire said...

Tam, I always knew you were a woman after my own heart.

MamaLiberty said...

Now ladies... there's wind and then there's WIND. If there was zero wind, how would you get your clothes nice and fluffy on the line outdoors? All the leaves would hang lifeless on the trees, and there'd be no change in the weather - ever.

Not too fond of WIND myself, but you have to take the bitter with the sweet. :)

gooch said...

WAIT ... Wait Tam PLEASE don't do away with the wind. Us poor sailors need it to move our sailboats around and bring back fancy silver things [from Spain and elsewhere]and hand carved Mahogany things [from the Far East and elsewhere] and so on and so forth.

SIGH I too get a bit miffed with the wind on occasion. [like when it blew out the big roller furling gennacher [a very large genoa often used as an offset spinnacher] and the foot of the mains'l as well.
That was an interesting trip but a whole 'nother story.

ML has it right ... Take the bitter with the sweet.

Of course when you're Queen of the Universe you'll Obviously make allowances for us poor sailor types I feel certain .... {rolls eyes}

Meanwhile think of the minor wind events mentioned as practice for the upcoming March windy season.

{he quickly ducks back behind his patented Gooches Triple Layer Aluminum Foil covered Cardboard Safety Shield. It also makes a handy kite when the wind is up .... }

DonkeyBuster said...

Breeze is different from wind. I'm w/Claire & Tam.

Tam said...

gooch,

As long as it stops at the shoreline, I have no particular quarrel with it. ;)