April 23, 2022: Winds of Spring

For much of the past 2 weeks, high winds have blown in every afternoon. This is normal spring behavior across the southwest, although this year has been especially dust-filled and strong. We’ve had a number of “Amber Alerts” warning us to stay off the roads due to zero visibility from dust. At our home in Bayfield, the wind always came from the southwest and was very predictable. Here at 4Fords, it comes in a swirl of chaos. The direction changes moment by moment: a 40mph gust from the north, followed by a brief lull, then a swirl down-canyon from the east, then around to the west. It’s quite disorienting.

As most people are aware, the presence of so much dust is a result of worsening drought in the West. So much so that NASA has whole programs studying the effects of traveling dust. We know that layers of red dirt from Arizona over high mountain snows in Colorado cause faster snowmelt and increase both spring floods and drier conditions later in summer. Dust captures both pollen and microplastics and spreads them through the air during wind storms.

But, aside from the dust and its evils, the wind is captivating. I can stand outside the house in a dead calm and listen to wind in the cliffs overhead, where it roars like several jets taking off. It has a particular humming sound as it tears through the junipers and pinyons. There’s a different kind of shushing noise when the wind reaches the ground and is going through the sage brush. I especially love it at night, when the turkeys are gobbling in the trees and the wind is howling. I’ve talked about the wind before, and likely will again. It’s a major player here.

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.
William Arthur Ward

As a result of all this blowing about, Alan and I haven’t made as much progress around the ranch as we’d like. That said, he got the solar working on the well, which was a red letter day! (As I played with Zane). We now have 2 out of 3 solar arrays up and running. The third is stored in the backyard, waiting its turn. As an aside, we also have 2 solar “suitcases” (small panels that run the electric fences) and 3 solar porch lights. Plenty of sun in the southwest! Might as well use it.

We’ve been expanding a small Zuni Bowl (lined with rocks) to capture the water we’ve been purging from the well (to clear out years of silt). Zane loves water. Clair does not. I’ve seen both deer and turkey tracks around it.

Finally, I helped a neighbor empty her storage unit: a couple of old ladies moving heavy furniture. Glad no one was watching. It was not graceful. No pictures of that.(Alan helped with the biggest stuff.)

Follow your heart wherever it takes you. Nobody knows where the wind blows. No one can say.

Mario Frangoulis

And, of course, no talk of wind would be complete without:

May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks.

J. R. R. Tolkien