Enough With The Wind….

This year’s Masters Tournament reminds us that Mother Nature is in charge. She is, however, off her meds, evidenced by the winds this spring, which are playing hell with just about every pursuit in the great outdoors. We keep flags in stock as the wind destroys even the best triple stitched offerings from US manufacturers. Wind always presents a problem for folks who fish, hunt, boat, canoe, golf, motorcycle jockeys, pilots and folks who drive convertibles. In fact, outside of buzzards, hawks, sailing ships and wind farm owners…..there are really few admirers of wind.

To be fair, wind has some advantages. It disperses plant seed in a process called anemochory, as well as pollen. When plants are dispersed by the wind, they release a hormone, “auxin”, that stimulates cell growth. Enough botany, the point is you have to really look to find the positive attributes of wind. Botany aside, a little science is in order.

Wind is the product of the uneven heating of the earth by the sun. It is also the movement of air from a high pressure zone to a low pressure zone. The average wind speed in Springfield is highest between October 15th and May 17th, when it averages 7.6 MPH. So far in 2024 it has averaged 11.6 MPH. Climatologists love labels, climate change, weather cycling and such…but we Ozarkians will tell you we have had a hell of a lot of wind lately. My instrumentation is comprised of a flag on a pole and the effort to paddle a long eddy against the wind on a float trip. My suspicions are confirmed when I drive a topless Orange Crush in a cross wind, and have to hold my hat on much like Junior did for Sheriff Justice in Smokey and the Bandit. My anemometer is a long pole with a crappie jig and a big bow in the line resulting in the necessity for tired old eyes to watch for the “tic” in the line telling me the slab has it. City folks need a meteorologist to help them with the weather, while hill folks step out the door to check their weather rock. We learned a long time ago what wind means when you pee outside.

Wind, at its most destructive as in the Hurricane of 1780 which killed some 20,000 people in the Caribbean, or the 1970 Cyclone in India that killed 300,000 people is nothing to be trifled with. We are fortunate (outside of our experience with tornadoes) but still prefer wind closer to the old averages. I can’t imagine life in Dorothy’s Kansas, where the wind never stops. Enough with the wind, Mother Nature, we want to go out and play!

Have a great week!

SR