Oh my goodness! The wind!!

I live in a windy place. I chose it partly because of the wind. I have chemical-induced asthma and living in valleys which trap smog and allow it to stay for days on end results in my being home bound until it finally begins to move out. When we lived in the Bay Area, there were sometimes weeks when I was unable to be outside for more than a few moments, and being indoors is depressing.

So--we chose a place which has perpetual air current, few people, no factories, little traffic...basically, a rural, windy, isolated community in which I could thrive. The result is that I've been free of an asthma attack for nearly fifteen years. My cardiovascular system has become so strong that I'm even able to visit places of poor air quality and I'm fine, usually, for a couple of days. If we stay longer I may have to use my inhaler a few times, but things are back to normal when we return home.

I love the freedom of being able to live without carrying an inhaler. I love clear lungs, uninterrupted sleep, and taking breathing for granted. However, biannually, for about three weeks, the lovely perpetual breeze becomes a howling wind. The first day is exhilarating. Everyone remarks about it and laughs. But by day four we're all out of sorts and wishing for the wind to blow itself out and leave us alone. Unfortunately, it takes longer than four days for that to happen.

Personally, I don't mind the strong winds. They don't usually pick up till around 10:00 a.m. and I've had my early morning run by that time. And they die down in the evening, so I can take a walk then if I choose. But right now the wind blows twenty-four hours, seven days a week. It disturbs our sleep, brings unusual presents into our yard, and is a general nuisance. At this point, the worst part is the noise. The incessant howling is throwing me into a generally bad temper. I've tried drowning it out with music and wearing ear plugs, but I know it's there, which is the same as  hearing it.

So I've been whining about the noise, and the cold, and all the other inconveniences of our windy weeks...and this morning at 7:30 a.m. the wind stopped. It's way too quiet. I detest white noise, and yet I find myself frantically doing laundry and running my dishwasher so the noise of the appliances will temper the silence. 

One would think I would just enjoy the relief. Perhaps tomorrow I will.