I feel like Dorothy with her pigtails aloft

I started out posting about some other things

that had happened earlier this week, but the wind out here is getting pretty ridiculous, so I thought I'd post about that instead.

Stuff is flying around outside and crashing into each other, the wind is howling, there is a dust, dust everywhere, potted plants are getting toppled over, the dogs have retreated into their houses, the reception from the satellite dish is getting cut off ever so often, there have been some tornado watches around us since last night till this morning, we seem to have lost broadcast from one local TV station since morning, I have to push against the side door ( which faces the west ) with quite some effort just to get it to open, the sun is out, but the atmosphere is tinged brown from all the dust... etc. etc.

edit:

The sun is now blocked out by all the dust in the air, and everywhere you look outside, there is a strange brown glow because of that. We are out in the country where it is mainly open land, with nothing to break the wind speed for it to be even slightly weakened as it hurtles at us. At times I can even feel the house shudder..

The latest weather conditions at a weather station near us has measured constant wind speeds of 40 miles an hour ( 64 km/h ) with gusts up to 56 miles an hour ( 90 km/h ) and the weather forecast for today is as follows :

Strong winds. Sunny. Areas of blowing dust through the day. Highs in the mid 60s. West winds 40 to 50 mph with gusts to around 65 mph.

EGAD.

So it looks like there's yet more wind at higher speeds to come. But one thing i'm thankful for is that, although we're getting such bad winds, the actual storm system is not passing through us, but rather over northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas. That's horrible for the people over there, but I don't think our house can take all the battering.

Some idea of wind damage we may be facing :-

The Fujita Tornado Scale

Category FO

-- Gale Tornado Category 40 - 72 mph--
Light damage: some damage to chimneys, breaks branches off trees, pushes over shallow-rooted trees, and damages sign boards.


Beaufort Wind Force Scale

Beaufort Scale #8 ( Gale )

39-46 mph
Twigs and small branches blown off trees.

Beaufort Scale #9 (Strong gale)

47-54 mph
Minor structural damage may occur (shingles blown off roofs).

Beaufort Scale #10 ( Storm )

55-63 mph
Trees uprooted, structural damage likely.

Beaufort Scale #11 ( Violent Storm )

64-73 mph
Widespread damage to structures.

Lord, keep us safe through this weather. In Jesus' name, Amen.

“I would hasten to my place of refuge From the stormy wind and tempest.”

Psalm 55:8