The Wind, She Blows - and So Does DOGE!

 

by Pa Rock

Weather-Watcher

March came in peacefully this year in the Ozarks, but by yesterday morning there were signs of the Lion's imminent arrival, and by last night he was here and in full-roar.  The forecast was for strong winds to begin around midnight (they were early) and to last throughout the day today.  Now, from the window next to my typing table, I see trees swaying forcefully in the breeze.

My house is old, but solid, built by a master-carpenter more than sixty years ago as a home for him and his family.  He had a large family - a wife and four boys - but they got by on just two bedrooms and two bathrooms, so it is not large.  It does have a nice half-basement where we can go when the tornado siren goes off in the middle of the night - something that might happen once or twice a year.

I am not concerned with the house blowing away, because it is so solid that is unlikely to happen.  What does concern me, however, are the very large trees on the acreage surrounding the house.  There are several pines that are forty-feet or more in height that could blow over onto the house in a bad storm, and a couple of massive oaks that are also within striking distance.

I worry about wildfires, too, the chances of which increase drastically during windy conditions.  They can spring up from downed power lines, people carelessly flipping lit cigarettes out of car windows, the frugal folks who burn their trash rather than pay the trash collector to pick it up, and the total morons who think a windy days is the perfect time to burn leaves or brush.

So when the weather is windy, Pa Rock pays attention.

March may have gotten off to a slow start, but it is roaring in now - and I'm not lyin' about that!

(I understand that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA - which is involved in long-range weather predictions - is one of the agencies that Elon is kneecapping.  I''m going to miss reliable weather-forecasting.  Of course, not all is lost because we will still have the trusty Farmer's Almanac, and Elon's Starlink will probably also provide weather forecasts - for a fee, of course.)

The wind isn't the only thing that blows!