Heron & Crow Gardens

Wind

It can stop blowing now. There are several gardens I take care of on a monthly basis where each time I've been there for three months running a whole new layer of tree frass awaits me. Some of it kindling sized. One does not work on these particular properties in sustained winds. I love what I do and will not lose my life to a Hemlock giving it up to a 40mph gust. The wind is howling at our place now, encouraging the Doug Fir to litter the broad scope of its domain with another zillion ankle turning cones and small branchlettes. This tree is 80' high by 30' wide. We need to figure out a way to make pin money with those cones.
This winter the wind has been more vocal than any other I can recall. It whips around the house whistling just like in horror movies. Twice this week I've driven the truck (8800# GVW) rather than my old venerable van because I didn't want to get blown off the road. I was willing to sacrifice fuel in the face of $4/gal prices. This is saying a lot as when it comes to these sort of expenditures, I am CHEAP! It was worth it to feel completely solid on the highway.
Another reason the wind makes me bonkers is my long hair. You can't be a rock star (my other profession, seriously) with a chic short hair style. So, I tie up my tresses to work in the tempest with locks escaping like disobedient children. Nothing worse than your own hair impeding your vision and then thwapping you in the eye.  I now have a favorite fleece hat that captures all and I never leave home without it!
The beauty of the wind can be seen out our kitchen window. Whitecaps frothing on the water between us and the south end of Whidbey Island make for a dynamic scene. Grasses in the garden dance in the wind giving movement to a landscape that is otherwise just barely waking up. The sky is amazing in the high wind. Here in the Pacific Northwest, wind tends to drive the upper cloud cover away. If we are lucky enough to be graced by the moon with lower clouds scudding by, it's like art in motion.
The vernal equinox is a mere five days away. So, maybe the wind will still vex me, but it will be Spring.