TheBanyanTree: WINDY WEATHER

[Sharon Mack]

Wednesday night's weather forecast called for high wind warning
beginning Thursday and continuing through Friday.  The winds could gust
up to 50-55 mph.  I immediately began to fret because Thursday is trash
day.  It also was the paper recycling week.  I had plenty of both kinds
of trash.  Why couldn't it have been bottles and cans week?  I
contemplated waiting to put the things out till next week if I found the
winds flying in the morning.  Hopefully they wouldn't reach us till late
in the afternoon.  After all, they were coming all the way from western
Canada, right?

When I walked the dogs early Thursday morning, it was almost balmy.  It
was maybe 40 or 45 degrees and nary a breeze passed by.  I felt
overdressed with my many layers, fleece jacket, ear-muffs and woolen
scarf.  I decided to take a chance and put the trash and papers out.  I
had boxes, too, leftover from helping a friend move.  So I packed
everything as tightly as possible out by the "No Parking" sign in front
of the house, crossed my fingers and went to work.  I resigned myself to
the possibility of having to pick-up trash and papers if the winds came
before the trash man or at the least, chasing emptied trash cans and
recycling bins upon my return home from work.

When I did return home, I immediately noticed no trash or newspapers in
the streets or yard to  greet me.  I was relieved.  Then I began to look
for the trash cans & bins.  I saw one trash can minus lid in the street,
one recycling bin in same street but further away.  I pulled into my
driveway and quickly jumped out of my car to retrieve them just as the
wind blew a gust right at them and moved them into a proceeding car. 
The car stopped (screeching) and the guy got out to give me a hand. 
After putting them in a safe (unblow-awayble) place.  I began to search
for the missing trash can, two lids and the other recycling bin.  I
found one lid in the back yard, the other lid in the lot next door.  I
put them away in the same safe spot, took another quick look around and
found nothing of the still missing containers.

I decided to walk the dogs and that way have a look about the
neighborhood.  As soon as I crossed over the bridge, I saw them.  They
were down the bank and almost into the swollen, swiftly moving river.  I
knew if I didn't get to them quickly, they would go into the river and I
would never be able to retrieve them.  I quickly returned the dogs to
the house (boy! were THEY confused) and headed to the bank.  Had I
stopped a moment to think this out, I would have changed my shoes to
sneakers or boots, but I was in a panic.  I half-slid down the bank to
the containers and reached over the swampy area and grabbed them, one in
each hand.  I stood up straight and smiled, but as I turned toward the
bank, the smile quickly left my face.  UP was another story!

I tried climbing with the cans in my hands and made very little
headway.  Finally I thrust the containers upwards to level ground hoping
and praying the next gust would hold off a moment until I could get up
the bank and get the cans to the "safe" spot.  My shoes slipped off
(they were clogs) with the next step as they stuck into the mud.  I
removed them and resorted to crawling up the bank, a shoe in each hand. 
It was the only way.

Wet and muddy, but at the top, with cans safely in hand and shoes back
onto my muddy feet, I began to chuckle.  Picturing myself from the back
side as I must have looked, I began to chortle and then it was a
full-blown, hearty, loud laugh.  I couldn't stop.  Had anyone been on
the opposite bank with a camcorder, they definitely would have won the
prize for funniest home video.  The picture of this chubby, gray haired
lady, crawling shoeless up the river bank is still making me giggle this
morning.

The wind is mightier and blasting today and the temperatures have now
dropped and it is COLD!  It snows intermittently. There has been a lot
of wind damage around town and electrical outages.  Thankfully, I
haven't been touched by any of that.  My dogs aren't too pleased though.
 The Pug went out this morning with great reluctance, did his thing and
went back in immediately.  No park today.  Yesterday had been enough.
The Pomeranian mix was a mess.  He is from Florida and must have
terrible memories of storms and hurricanes  because he gets very nervous
in the wind or when he hears thunder.  I tried to protect him as best I
could but it was no use.  As he began to settle himself into a squat,
the wind came right up under his fluffy cat and blew him off his feet. 
He began to roll down the river bank.  I tried to pull him to his feet
using the leash, but it was no use.  I finally had to go down and get
him.  Thankfully, it was not in the same place as yesterday's adventure
and I was able to get us both up on my feet.

He finally did his thing behind the shed and we went in.  He headed
right for his crate not even waiting for the traditional biscuits.  He
just wanted to feel safe.

And me.....I headed for work, thankful it wasn't trash day.