About those wind generators … so true. Thing is, the wind mostly blows like this when we don’t need it — when the solar power is cranking away, the days are long, and we have less need for electricity. Yep, set up a wind generator and it sits there doing nothing during the months you need it most. Lots of people around here do use wind power — including our nearest neighbor, whose turbine sits atop a hill half a mile over. In winter, it’s mostly idle. This time of year, we can sometimes hear it scream even from here, well upwind of it.

Dune … skull winds … flying hats and flayed flesh … oh yes. And Tahn, I’ve seen those spinning winds myself. I guess on balance I’d rather have what we get here, thank you. What MJR says: Noplace has sane weather; snow hits the Golan Heigts and occasionally it even sunshines in Seattle.

Matt, thanks for the practicalities. I’ll have to lay in a couple of bandannas, for sure. Especially since one other consequence of the dry weather is a need to wear lip balm all the time to keep mouths from cracking. Then the airborne grit just loves to stick to that stuff. Ick.

Jake, if Lori’s willing to make a slight detour, I’ll ask her to drop me off at your place next time the wind demons attack, okay? Appreciate the offer.

But today … today we’re expecting 75 degrees and breezes of no more than 15 mph. The sun shines over the junipers and the rocky grottos in the side washes. And … I think I’ll stay for a while.

We don’t have winds like that in Missouri. Ours are seasonal but they often rotate and form a funnel from ground to sky. We do have lots of trees though. They sometimes get sucked out of the ground by said funnels and fly around. Choices.

I too thought of Dune and the still suits. With that kind of wind it would be a great place for a wind generator. Just put it downwind so you won’t hear it scream all the time.

Tahn