I can think of a lot of things I’d like better than a 45 mph wind. Like a root canal with no anesthetic. Or a dinner of nothing but Brussels sprouts and chick peas. Yuck.
No, I’m not real fond of wind, especially when it breaks into the forty- or fifty-mile-per-hour range. And when it blows for four weeks straight, without letting up for more than a few hours at a time, it starts to really wear me down.
It’s tough to get outside and enjoy yourself when you’re trying to keep from being blown over. The winter’s already cold. It doesn’t need any help from wind chill. To keep from going completely insane, I tried to think of all the good things about wind. There are some benefits, and it helps to keep them in mind when you’re out there trying to keep from being blown off the lake while you’re ice fishing.
Wind is vital to wildlife, because it blows the snow off the grasses and shrubs big game rely on to get through the winter. Without wind, the snow we get around here would quickly pile up, and it would require more work to get to edible plants than those plants would provide to the animals.
Wind can also be pretty handy when you’re feeding the horses. I used to think it was just a nuisance, but I’ve learned how to harness it and use it when I feed each morning and night. If I toss the hay just right, the wind carries it right to the horse I want it to go to. It took some tweaking to get this system working right. I shot a lot of hay right out of the pasture and past the neighbor’s house before I perfected it.
Wind’s great for reminding you you’re still alive. If you don’t believe me, step out of the house directly into a good, stiff, cold wind. It’ll take you a few seconds to remember how to breathe, and when you do, the air that fills your lungs will be cold enough to pop your eyes wide open.
And wind also keeps the riff-raff out. Let’s face it. You gotta’ be tough to live here. I whine a lot about the wind, but I do gut it out. And I admire my neighbors for doing the same. It’s not always easy. But it does help to think about the good things that come along with the wind.
