Through A Glass Darkly

May 19, 2009 by Naomi.

How deceiving the environs can be when viewed through a windshield. At 0730 the sky to the east was very dark with clouds that threatened rain momentarily. Not only did rain not materialize but the clouds dissipated within hours. The culprit? High winds from the south. The clouds were simply cast hither and yon beyond the horizon.

However the wind did not steal in alone. The wind brought every loose piece of soil it could pick up across the areas where rooted greenery was absent. The condition was not unexpected. After the least bit of rain, the wind sweeps through my desert and wipes the moisture away. And when the day of education at McNary Discovery Center ended shortly after noon, I could ride my trusty Hyundai and yodel my way home. Westward ho. Into the wind.

Sure Badger mountain looked a bit like it got a tanning in yesterday’s 88 F degree sunshine, warm and comfortable in the distance. I knew better. The tan was the view through blowing sand. Farmers are tilling the soil in anticipation of spring planting. No matter how many acres of green crops tenaciously clutch the soil with healthy roots the capricious wind at thirty-plus miles per hour grabs a grain here and there and multiplies into a brown haze across the landscape.

It is fine as long as I can observe the view through a window. In real life some things simply have to be done outdoors. Like getting from the car into the house.

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