Uncle!

 

Remember when you were a kid and your older sibling (in my case: sisters) had you pinned down?  "Why are you hitting yourself?  Does this hurt?  How about this?"  Yeah, you learned to cry, "Uncle!"  I don't know why, and I have no idea if that is what kids today do to get out of familial torture.

Today, I am ready to cry, "Uncle."  No, not from a sibling - I am the last man standing.  This would be directed at Mother Nature.  The wind has been unrelenting the last couple weeks.  If you could get out early, you might get a motorcycle ride in.  Wednesday, it was gusting to 30 mph; yesterday it was 35; today it is gusting to 40.  Maybe higher.

When I went outside to make breakfast tortillas on the griddle, Joan asked if I'd be able to keep it lit... "I think so."  The good news: yes, it stayed lit.  When I was cleaning up afterwards, the tongs (pretty heavy) blew off the table next to the griddle.  Just being out in that wind is tiring.

I got out early (around 7:00) for a bicycle ride, and it was blowing like stink by the time i got back.  I did roll the scoots out of the cargo trailer to make sure nothing stuck to the touched-up floor... only one thing: a plastic kick stand plate that I put under the kick stand... there was a paper tag on the bottom of it... yep, it stuck.

Joan did some arranging in the trailer while I checked oil and aired up tires on the bikes.  When I was ready to put the bikes back in, there was a layer of dirt on them, thanks to the wind.  I cleaned Joan's bike first and ran it into the trailer, then did the same with mine.  That's the only outing they will get today.  I would say the same for me, too, but I did tell Joan I'd make smash burgers for supper.  According to the hourly forecasts, it isn't going to get any better until after 9:00 tonight, when the sustained winds are supposed to drop below 20 mph.  That is what passes for "breezy" around here.