Published in Capper’s Magazine, Heart of Home, 28th February, 1990
Tangles with the wind
Back in 1952, I had my first tangle with a strong Kansas wind. During a picnic out at the city lake, our family and cousins gathered in a shelter house for lunch. (In Kansas, if you don’t use a shelter house, your food will be blown right off your plate.)
As it sometimes happens, the children became wild as March-Hares after being fed. The adults usually want to just talk or take a nap after a meal. I was about 2 years old at the time and had been watching older kids climb upon an arched window opening of the shelter, then jumping the short distance to the grass below. Before long I decided to give it a try. With my short, baby fat legs, I climbed upon the ledge of the opening. All was going well until a strong northerly gust blew me right back down on the cement floor, breaking my arm in the fall.
I learned to respect our Kansas wind. Most of the time I count it as friend, but I’ll always remember when we tangled some 37 years ago.
I've heard many pioneer women were said to have nearly gone crazy by the relentless wind.... but I find the wind rather soothing at times. I especially enjoy the changing seasons we have here in Kansas with the wind almost constant in early spring and fall.
The wind produced by a tornado is something totally different. As you probably know tornados come in all sizes, from a twisting rope to filling the whole skyline with its mass. The tornado that hit Andover Kansas was definately a monster I hope never to hear or see the likes again in my lifetime.