Just like everything else this Winter season, Mother Nature has done nothing in moderation, and today was no different.
After still more rain last night, we started the day off rocking and rolling with 40 mph wind gusts. I knew before I went to bed last night that a morning walk was not in the cards. It is all open spaces at Council Point Park, especially now with the bare trees and bushes. So, I bided my time to avoid a “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore” moment.
Finally, at 11:30 the wind subsided a bit and I headed out. Though the wind was about 20 mph, gusting to 25 mph, because I am bullheaded, I was not going to pass up a sunny Sunday just because of a little wind. I used the big tree across the street to gauge the wind velocity; it was bending and swaying a little … “a little” being the operative words here.
Before leaving, I secured my chullo hat by safety-pinning the straps to my turtleneck sweater as I didn’t want to be chasing it along the perimeter path once I got down to the Park. As long-time subscribers to this blog know, I’ve had one woolen cap blow off and I chased it down the street as it somersaulted along ‘til it hit a murky-looking puddle. Still another woolen hat went airborne, sailed over the water and snagged onto a gnarly old tree that bends across the Creek, so it now belongs to whatever critter, probably a squirrel and his missus, who likely use it as a cozy blanket to line their nest all Winter.
Speaking of nests, it amazes me just how solid and sturdy those critters’ nests really are, from the tiniest bird nest in a sapling …
… to a squirrel or crow’s nest atop the tallest tree. The wind may blow and blow, and those nests always stay put. Very rarely do you see a nest that has tumbled to the ground.
I know all of you are dying to know if the “creature” was still hanging from its tail up in the tree. I must confess it creeped me out so much yesterday, and, given the gusty winds today, I avoided that part of the perimeter path, and instead made a detour through the grassy area and later connected to the trail. Okay, call me a scaredy-cat, but I was not having a rodent, suspended by its tail from a thin twig, drop to the ground during a big gust of wind. What if it landed on me? I have enough worries when the geese do a flyover and I am bareheaded. I always hope they miss me … if you know what I mean.
Tomorrow, when those winds are much calmer, I will stray back over to that tree again. I still want to know why a predator bird did not see the rodent and take it “to go” … I hope to find it gone tomorrow.
Today, the squirrels remained tucked in their nests, even Parker. I wonder why? Perhaps they are afraid of shimmying down the tree trunk when the wind is so gusty? Or, perhaps the two men who also feed the squirrels arrived earlier than me. I was the only person on the trail today and much later than my usual time. I left some peanuts on the picnic table as a sign of life that I’d been there. The wind shouldn’t push them off the table top as there are ridges and grooves between the wooden boards to line them up.
The mallards were not bothered by the wind at all, except those ruffled feathers from a particularly gusty puff of air, or, from a fellow mallard who swam too close and infiltrated their brethren’s personal space. Loud quacking then ensues. The geese were similarly a no-show, and the old heron I believe was tucked away somewhere, evading me as he believes I’ve become too intrusive with my picture-taking of him lately.
I got four miles done today, some steps by my own two feet, and still others as I rolled like a giant tumbleweed along the pathway.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Dear Miss “Tumbleweed”…………………………I didn’t walk today but I felt the wind when I read your blog today!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was pretty bad Ann Marie … I couldn’t resist that sunshine though so I ventured out. You’re so petite that wind would have blown you away!
LikeLike
I hadn’t stopped to think that animals might be put off by wind. I know I am. Now that we have a gizmo that measures the velocity of the wind, we might define our walking rules. We used to go out in wind, but then we saw some big branches in the area where we walk. One of them impaled itself deeply into the ground. My skull would be no match for that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yikes! No, I am careful about the wind as well … It had subsided or I would not have gone, but it very windy there and lots of trees as you see in the pictures. This morning I saw a hug branch from a tree that had fallen down over the pathway – so almost like what you saw I’d say it was at least 6 inches wide. Sometimes I’ll be walking at the Park and it is windy and I can hear the dead trees creaking as I walk by. They have many dead trees down there and really should take care of them, but they probably will never do that.
LikeLike
Creaking trees can be spooky.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, especially when the winds howl around Halloween (or they have rodents hanging from them!)
LikeLike
Both could be scary.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very scary. Marge had two plum trees out in front of her property. When she and her husband moved into the house in 1992, they went and go two spindly plum trees. Plum trees grow very quickly, tall and are a dry wood which break easily. We had a bad windstorm in November of 2014. It split one of the trees in two, but a few months before, the other tree lost a huge branch – nearly half of the tree, just broke off on a windless day, for no reason. They had to call the City as it was too large to move anywhere, and they came with the tree-cutting equipment as it was on City property. That wind was 39 mph and it took a metal shed off its moorings and blew it across my backyard and crumpled it like it was a piece of paper.
LikeLike
You have SERIOUS wind there!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I am glad it is over … hope it does not return for a while. We had those March winds from the poem we recited when we were young about “March winds, April showers, help to bring May flowers”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Trees blow like wind grows”, as I say, but the nest stays put. Oh, how I love that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s amazing Uncle Tree – wind gusts to 40 mph earlier in the day Sunday and a big tree limb had already broken off and fell onto the path, but the nests always stay undisturbed. Unbelievable! The critters (furry or feathered) must secure them with mud somehow to keep the nests from detaching from the trees.
LikeLike
Mother Nature’s super-glue rocks! 🙂 Sometimes, though, when we wish to pick up roots and travel afar…well, we find it gets a bit too sticky, regardless of whether we wish to take off with the wind to our back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with you on both points! You have to hope your journey is like the Irish blessing.
LikeLike