Hopefully by the time you read this, April 22-23’s winds will have died down. I’ve seen these winds before many times over my 23 years in the Atlanta metro area.

But, Sunday and Monday’s winds were extraordinary. I’m always nervous during these windstorms. The winds howl as if they’re playing a practical joke on its victims. Trees are challenged to stand up to the sudden gusts’ strength. Most pines, oaks and poplars make it through the storm; some do not – like my neighbor’s pine that snapped at approximately the ten-foot mark back in February 2009. Two sections of my fence were taken out. I quickly mended the old wooden and chicken wire barrier that keeps the deer out most of the time.

The garage door spring creaks with a sickening sound as if it’s being torture. I hate to be dramatic about a garage door, but during these winds, I’m afraid the poor thing is stressed out and wants to break free of its captivity! Speaking of breaking free, the gutter screens have long blown away – loosened by my old friends, the squirrels who love to pop under them and ride the gutters trying to find ways to get in my warm attic. When will those clueless fur-balls learn that I have done everything under the sun to keep them out? I wish they would pack up their acorns and get back into the forest.

The most disheartening moment during the weekend portion of the windstorm was the loss of my beloved outdoor lawn table. I lost one before – about 18 years ago during a night when a twister skipped through Grayson. I begged the Sunbeam Company to send me a glass replacement. The company had heart at that time and quickly obliged with a nice piece of glass. That same glass surface met its demise on Sunday, along with the table’s legs. It’s a total loss. Note to self: do not purchase another outdoor glass tabletop. Other lawn furniture seemed to pull through.

The local television and radio reporters always jump into special overdrive during any unusual weather event that involves inconvenience and destruction. The windstorms are no different. Those dedicated, determined and dependable reporters camp out for hours in front of fallen oaks that violently landed on electric lines leaving Georgia Power customers in the dark for hours.  

So here we were in late April experiencing highs in the lows 60s (F) with fierce winds.  It’s an understatement to say that the mighty winds and cool temps are unusual in the Atlanta metro in late April. Since when did we become Chicago? As I always say, I shouldn’t complain. I’d love to bottle those mild temps up and release them in early August when the tired squirrels sleep on my fence and my neighbors’ cats seek refuge from the heat under their minivan. Well, I still have some more glass and pine cones to clean up. Something tells me that I’ll be doing this again real soon.