Buddha is Not Amused

It was Wizard of Oz windy in the high desert all day yesterday and through most of the night. The air and the sounds seem to find a way into the house through every possible and impossible entry point. The front door moans. The chimney and the swamp cooler vent hiss. And every window rattles and hums. At 2:30 a.m. the sleet and freezing rain sound like a gang of love-sick '50's movie teenage boys, pelting the house with stones to wake up their equally love-sick teenage girl counterpart. I was tempted to to get out of bed and open the drapes to make sure that wasn't the case. As if. But, I was warm and cozy in bed and knew if I climbed out of my body warmth cocoon it would take me the rest of the night to get it just right again. So I stay put, listening to the ice crystals pelt the windows, and wondering what the cactus and yucca trees and creosote bushes will look like after a night of winter weather. By the time I do finally summon the courage to face the world on the other side of my blankets, most of whatever had fallen overnight has melted or blown away. Snow doesn't last long out here, and I regret not getting up at 2:30 to see it while it weathered. But, there's still a bit of snow hanging onto some things scattered around the yard, so I go outside to take some photos and a little walk. Looking west, the storm clouds are huge and ominous and rolling over the mountain tops and into the desert valleys, headed east.  It's freezing in the desert this morning! I'm fascinated with the sight of the clouds and the mountains though, so I stand there, shivering, staring at nature, like I'm waiting for something unexpected, or dramatic, or magical to happen. But, Mother Nature doesn't care that I'm cold and waiting. She's gonna do what She's gonna do in her own sweet time. I know this wind is going to bring those clouds and that weather and whatever else She has in store for us desert rats, eventually. But right now, those clouds are perfectly content hanging onto that mountain top for dear life. It must be snowing like crazy up there!

My hands are frozen, my cheeks are bright red, and my hair is crazy. So, I go back inside and spend the next hour or so in front of the pellet stove and space heater and with a hot cup of tea, thawing out. The wind is howling still, but this afternoon I'm feeling a bit more like one of the little pigs than Dorothy.  The clouds are still moving past at a good clip, but the birds are chirping and the sun is out. It's going to be a cold, blustery day in the desert for sure, but somehow, She just can't keep from letting the sun shine down on us desert rats, eventually.