I may chat about my books, what I'm writing or reading, or just general thoughts. You may read posts about my cats or just my crazy life in general. Comments are welcome, if anyone wants to interact with me. Maybe we can share war stories, whether it's writing related or just about life in general.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Standing strong is the answer

Paloverde tree - broken limb is to the side


That means survival in the desert.  The conditions are harsh most of the time and the wind is fierce.  It blows at hurricane force a few times a year.  We’ve had our heavy patio chairs thrown like sticks onto the lawn and the wind sent the grill sailing right off the patio once.  I was cooking inside at the time and was flabbergasted to see it fly by the kitchen window.

This time our grill cover was ripped off so we tied it down with heavy twine.  The rope we had on it was broken by the wind.  Two chairs ended up lying on their sides in the lawn and a big limb broke off the Paloverde tree, reducing it in size by about one third.  I’ve never lived in a place where the wind blows this hard.  Sometimes it reminds me of living on the farm as a child when a hurricane was coming.



 Broken Paloverde limb
 
We used to stand at the door and watch things blow by in the wind.  Once we held the screen door open to get a better look and it slammed back against the house with a bang.  Mama had a fit and yelled for us kids to get away from the door.

People should fear the wind as much as the ocean.  It packs a lot of power.

The Paloverde limb is too heavy to move.  I have no idea how much it weighs.  We’ll have to chop it up on the spot and haul it to the trashcan in pieces.  Luckily the tree isn’t phased by losing a third of itself. 



 This broken limb is huge and very heavy
 
I think these trees are hardy as they grow fast.  We’ve had to cut them to the ground when they freeze.  And look at this tree now.  It’s astonishing to see how it survives and even thrives in these conditions.

Here is the Paloverde tree in May loaded with yellow blooms

6 comments:

  1. I agree comparing the wind to the ocean. The thing is you can stay out of the ocean for the most part, but hard to stay out of the wind if one lives where it is really windy.

    betty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Betty,

      This is so true. Thanks for reading and your comment.

      Sunni

      Delete
  2. Winds powerful enough to send a grill flying? Yikes! Watch out for houses! lol I;m glad the tree is okay after that ordeal. I hope it continues to flourish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chrys,

      It amazed me that the grill blew right off the patio too and ended up turned on it's side in the lawn about twelve feet or so away. This is no small grill either.

      I hope the tree flourishes too. It's so pretty in spring when it's loaded with yellow flowers. I think it must be hearty because we have two of them and winter before last they both froze to the ground. We cut them of and they grew right back bigger and sturdier than they were.

      Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.

      Sunni

      Delete
  3. Strong winds freak me out. I wouldn't want to be around during a hurricane.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liz,

      Don't you live in the south? It seems like we boarded the windows up several times as kids growing up. We only had to evacuate once.

      The winds here can be about that powerful at times. You'd be amazed at what ends up in the yard, or in the desert, and you have no idea who it belongs to. One time a neighbor lost a whole gazebo out of his back yard.

      Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.

      Sunni

      Delete

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Sunni