Saturday Morning

The wind is beating everything in its path, there is nothing gentle or kind about this wind, it is cold and it is harsh. The sky is gray ribbons, undulating in the currents high above. I resist the urge to turn on the stereo to drown out the whistling and howling sounds of the wind. The wind song of the morning doesn't frighten me, it seems lonely, forsaken. Old maybe.

When I went out to do the chores, feed the chickens, gather eggs and bring in more fire wood, above me soared a black vulture, he fought the wind and then gave in, his flight changed from being forced and unsteady, to graceful and easy. I stood to watch for what seemed a long time. Startled by the banging of the metal roof of the barn, I remembered my tasks at hand. My face stinging from the cold wind, my skirt wrapping around my legs, nearly tripping me as I went to the woodshed. It was warmer in there, no wind hitting me. The wind making a sound like a nylon zipper being pulled up and down in rapid succession. The last of the pecans and black walnuts hitting the roof like tiny torpedoes. I started thinking about how nice it would be to be sitting by the fire, chores done, my pace quickened at the mental picture of me with a steaming hot cup of cocoa. The cats snuggled in the doorway, smart to be away from my steps with arms full of wood. Bark breaking off like crumbs and falling on their heads. I heard a branch snap on the old cottonwood tree. Not a big branch but still...it made the wind seem unkind.

The kindling basket, long ago used for picking cotton was slung over the old hay manger, empty. I would have to look for sticks out in the wind, just enough for today. Tomorrow might be a better time to gather more. It feels wintry today, despite the lack of snow or ice. I'll listen to this wind while I read some from The Long Winter, it makes the story come alive to have the right sounds outside my window. The fire will soon be stirred to life, warming up the house and my hands.

40 mph wind gusts, temperatures in the mid 30's with a wind chill in the high 20's A chance of snow flurries this evening.