New Mexico Wind and Dust Storm

 We are having the biggest wind we've experienced since moving to New Mexico nearly seven years ago. And with fires burning all around the state and in Arizona, this is definitely frightening. None of the fires are near us, fortunately, but still we are vulnerable should the wind take down a power line or some other event cause a spark.

The morning was quite calm and pleasant and I worked around the yard, putting away anything loose, trimming some bushes, planting seeds and watering. Leon was at work.

But he had a horrendous drive home. He has driven in snow storms and blizzards, driving rain and wind. But he described today's drive as the scariest conditions he's ever experienced. The wind gusts could turn a truck or camper on its side, the dust made visibility almost zero at times and a tractor trailer cam to a dead stop on the highway in the lane Leon was traveling in. 

He had to get around the truck by driving on the shoulder and passing the truck on the right. Admonitions say "do not stop on the road" but drive totally off the road if possible. 

Luckily Leon was going VERY slowly. He took a little video for us.

What Kind of Name For a Hurricane is Sandy?

UPDATE 10/31/12  Here we still have electricity (last year we were without power for 7 days).  But being without electricity is merely an inconvenience compared to being without a home or seeing your house burn or having your entire neighborhood covered in sand and debris.  Where does one begin to clean up and rebuild?  Where does one get the resources?  The video coverage is unbelievable.  Hoping that everyone affected will get needed assistance soon.

UPDATE 10/30/12  We survived the storm with no damage or flooding.  We are inland and on the north side of Fall Mountain, so we got only minimal wind.  Down at the shore, it was quite another story - not as widespread as New Jersey and Long Island, but most of the Connecticut shore got hit hard.

10/29/12
Sandy sounds like such a mild mannered, friendly, fun-loving, even wimpy name.  Sandra or Sandro would carry more authority.  But here we are battening down the hatches for "Sandy".  Almost exactly a year since the Halloween snow storm that crippled our area and turned out the lights for seven days.  So we are getting ready to play Little House on the Prairie once again: filling water buckets for when the well pump is powerless and getting all our potential flying object out of the yard.

So far, now 6:30 pm, most of the wind is coming from the TV weather forecasters.

Here are some of the best photos from the hurricane so far.  Thanks to hurricane wind and rain we have Satellite TV Art:

I'm thinking these will be made into note cards for this year's gifts to family and friends.