Community Press, September 2000

Observation - The Wind

By Jane Vest

From my kitchen window I can look out at two very tall trees, one a locust with some mysterious ailment and the other a mountain ash. The latter has bright red berries upon which the birds feast. There is always some motion, birds flying among the foliage and squirrels bounding from branch to branch. But when the wind gusts and the trees dance in the wind, I think - what if?

It appears to me that the wind is layered. I can see near the ground next door the blooming Rose of Sharon swaying in a breeze while up above the tree trunks move with the force of a strong wind at the same time.

For a while the Susquehanna River puzzled me. Although I know it flowed south into the Chesapeake Bay it seemed to be flowing in the wrong direction. The west wind was the culprit, stirring up little waves and pushing them to the north of us. On a calm day the river resumed its flow to the bay.

In our walks we, too, are affected by the wind. It picks up the dust and debris on sidewalks; it drives the rain and snow into our faces. When it BLOWS it makes walking difficult and buffets the cars on the highway.

Once upon a time the wind was a great boon to mankind. It filled the sails of his ships and powered the great windmills that ground the corn or lifted the water in the wells.

Benevolent wind, but not always. Whipped by other forces of nature it can destroy everything in its path. Yes, "nature in the raw is seldom mild."