Just a little gusty
It was one of those days when it's a minute away from snowing and there's this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it. And this bag was, like, dancing with me. Like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. And that's the day I realized there was this entire life behind things, and... this incredibly benevolent force, that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. - American Beauty
We live in a valley carved by glaciers and the Ohio River. It is absolutely beautiful here but high wind warnings are not to be taken for granted.
Ohio residents are facing thousands of power outages following severe storms on Thursday night. More than 46,000 energy customers in Ohio are currently without power, according to Power Outage U.S.
Late on Thursday night, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Cleveland said that a High Wind Warning would be in place into Friday morning. The NWS warned that potentially damaging wind gusts of up to 60 mph would be likely for several hours, which could result in downed trees and power lines. Newsweek
I shot some video of the high winds this morning - mainly the roar of them in our small section of the valley. I did not get very far into my morning cigarette before a massive gust hit.
The neighbor's BBQ cover - in the form of a black, undulating mass - flew at me. Rather than stand there gape-mouthed, I snubbed out the smoke and began to batten all the hatches. Decor, wind chimes, the ashtray pot. The second gust sent both our bork borks running to the porch, and tiny Piper flattened herself between the hibiscus and wire fence. And then I noticed the trash can roll by.
The older dogs were happy to be pushed into the kitchen. Hershey, the curious pup that he is, remained as resolute as a gargoyle on the deck.
Until the black plastic shopping bag tumbled through the air and into our yard.
I returned the neighbor's BBQ cover, laid down the empty trash cans and turned to find the gate open. By time I closed it (and wound the bungee cord to keep it closed), poor Hershey was slinking across the yard, tail tucked, as the gusts whipped the bag into a frenzy. Run downwind, expect stuff to follow you, bud.
It does not help that I am on day four of a "stomach bug". It has been pretty bad. Tear-assing around the yard did not do me any favors.
Others fared worse this morning. So many are without power. Compared to their heavy reality, my morning was just a pebble.
It was one of those days when it's a minute away from being hit with stuff and there's this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it. And the debris was, like, dancing with me. Like a grizzled punk begging me to mosh with him. For fifteen minutes. And that's the moment I realized karma loathes me today, and... this incredibly obnoxious force, that wanted me to know I'd never make it upstairs to the toilet in time.