“An ill wind that blows nobody good.” – John Heywood, “Proverbs”
A tree falls across a power line in southwest Nebraska. Usually, any resulting fire is containable. But the 60-mph wind snatches the flames.
Almost 30,000 acres burn in the northwest gale. Forty rural fire departments respond. A volunteer fire chief dies.
Turn your back to the wind. The nearest low pressure is to your left. The wind rotates counter-clockwise around low pressure to balance high pressure. The greater the pressure difference, the stronger the flow.
After blackening those acres, the wind curls southward. Still icy, it pours into a ballpark where the 14-year-old Hornets face a double-header.
To win, the Hornets play for four hours in relentless bluster.
Popups curve crazily. Onlookers pull on parkas and heavy hoodies. Sweat freezes. Chairs tip over and unsheltered trash scatters.
Temperatures remain frozen. It should soften by morning, when the Hornets play twice more.
A cutting wind speeds me to the emergency vet clinic. A pulmonary embolism dooms my cat. It’s 2 a.m., Mr. Tig is gone and I face headwinds going home.
And above us, the unaware ocean of air churns onward.
The image of the Hornets playing in the gale force winds is deeply moving, and then, even more so, the death of your beloved Tig. I’m so sorry, Thomas. I know what it’s like to lose a pet in really difficult weather. The one saving grace, seeing the Association play “Windy.” I attended one of their concerts when I lived in L.A. in 1967. I loved their harmonies.
Thank you, Darlene. My 14-year-old grandson is a Hornet, a name the players hate after having been “Cobra Black” the past three years. Mr. Tig was the youngest of my three shelter-rescue familiars. Large, almost dog-like in his loyalties, and obsessed with belly rubs, I expected him to outlive Katie and Luciano. I thought “Windy” was an unexpected choice, as was the graphic, but after 40 years of editing, I don’t question such decisions. I have another dozen pieces on the 30secondread .com website. I hope you find a few of them as equally moving. Thanks again for your comments. Ta.
Tom has 18 essays at 30-Second Read, all at https://30secondread.com/author/thomasgunning/.