October 12: Air: Wind, Storms
“Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetops,
first mentioned in written form in 1765 in Mother Goose’s Melody
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.”
Featured Bloggers for WQW #38: Fit as a Fiddle
For those of you who contributed to WQW #38, we thank you for your ideas to make us fit as a fiddle.
- DEB’S WORLD SEEING MAGNOLIAS
- LOVING LIFE – “LIFE HAS NO REMOTE, GET UP AND CHANGE IT YOURSELF.”
- MICRO OF THE MACRO – FIVE EXTRAORDINARY BENEFITS OF WALKING
- NEW 2 WRITING – HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
- PRIORHOUSE BLOG – WALKING, SWIMMING, AND HAMSTRING STRETCHES
- SECOND WIND LEISURE – WALK YOUR WAY TO BETTER
- SECOND WIND LEISURE – DON’T FORGET ABOUT BIKING
- UNIQUELY FIT– MOVE IT MONDAY: A WALK AND A TALK
- WIDE EYED WONDERINGS – TOUCHING TOES -IS THAT ALL THERE IS TO YOGA?
IT’S EASY TO PLAY ALONG WITH #WQW
Currently, this weekly writing challenge runs from Wednesday through Tuesday at noon. All you need is at least one quote to go with your post. Share photos, and/or write a poem, story, or memoir. Just have fun with it and let the quote or quotes lead the way.
Topics for the year (subject to change) are listed on the WQW Page. Feel free to post weekly, or drop in from time to time – All are welcome.
“Being soaked alone is cold. Being soaked with your best friend is an adventure.”
– Emily Wing Smith, ‘Back When You Were Easier to Love’.
For More Ideas about Wind and Rain
YOUR BLOG POST GOES HERE – FEEL FREE TO SUBMIT MORE THAN ONE POST IF A PARTICULAR TOPIC MOVES YOU.
- BEACH WALK REFLECTIONS – FRANK REFLECTS ON RAIN
- BEACH WALK REFLECTIONS – FRANK DISCUSSES WIND
- KEEP IT ALIVE WINDY WORDS OF WISDOM
- LADY LEE – MEMORIES FROM THE LAND OF TYPHOONS
- LIGHT WRITE LIFE – FLOODS FORCE A MOVE
- PICTURE RETIREMENT – NEWS FROM FLORIDA ABOUT HURRICAN IAN
- SECOND WIND LEISURE – FLEETING MOMENTS
- WIDE EYED WONDERINGS – STORMS IN MEME COUNTRY
How’s Your Weather – Brace for Windy Storms
“Wind depends on temperature. Temperature depends on pressure. And pressure depends on wind. It’s an intricate mathematical tapestry that is far too intertwined to unpick by hand.”
– Hannah Fry
Prescott had a near-record number of inches of rain during this monsoon season (June 15-September 30) with 13.68 inches at a station just minutes from us. We had the highest rainfall in the state.
“Rain is the reason we have slanted roofs, gutters, storm sewers, drainage systems, retention ponds, raincoats, rain hats, umbrellas, and waterproof clothing.”
Frank’s Beach Walk Reflections
Only Light Rain in the Pacific Northwest
It’s coming soon, but we had no rain for the six days we were in the Portland/Tigard/Vancouver area. With temperatures in the 70s and 80s wind and rain were the farthest things from our minds. The weather cooled and wettened as we traveled north to Spokane.
Unlike Floridian hurricanes, in Washington and Oregon, commonly soft gentle rains fall on already moistened fields. Flooding is kept at bay unless the ground gets too much water too quickly. People from dryer areas get tired of the 164 annual days of rainfall. According to Trip Savvy, Portland ranks third in U.S. cities for the number of days with rainfall.
Too Much Wind and Rain
“The wind is mysterious. We don’t see it, but notice its effects. We can’t hold it, but feel it on our body. When we try to touch it, it provides a passing glance then moves on.”
Frank’s Beachwalk Reflections
There are times when enough is enough.
“Ian came ashore near Cayo Costa, Florida, at 3:05 p.m. EDT with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, tying the record for the fifth-strongest hurricane on record to strike the United States. It was the strongest hurricane to hit Florida since Michael in 2018.”
National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service
By comparison the winds in my videos in Prescott were measured at about 10 mph according to Weather Spark.
The combination of strong wind and heavy rain can do so much damage. My sympathies go out to those who lost so much in Hurricane Ian. Besides the loss of lives, “only 18% of Florida homes have flood insurance, according to Insurance Information Institute.” CBS News The cost of flood insurance in flood zones is exorbitant, in some cases as much as the mortgage. Some of the homes were insured for wind damage, but not water.
When I was a teen, we vacationed several years in a row in Punta Gorda, FL, located 20 miles south of Ft. Meyers. My mother’s best friend from high school lived where the iron-colored waters of the Peace River ran at the back of her property. We swam in that river which was flooded by Hurricane Ian. I wonder if the house still stands.
Today, “the city (of Punta Gorda) suffered widespread losses from Hurricane Ian, with city officials saying 1 in 20 structures sustaining major damage.”
Port Charlotte Sun
This post is mostly about literal wind and rain, but for writers, there’s always another interpretation of rain.
“…I also thought of other ways life brings us “rainy days” and while I don’t have a lot of photos it did get me thinking….a flat tire, fender bender, being sick, injuring oneself, losing a loved one”
Kirstin Troyer of Loving Life
What About Your Experiences?
Have you ever been in a tornado or hurricane? What happened? What did you and your family do? Have you survived a rainy situation in your life?
Remember if you are researching a topic, you have found a gold mine of quotes. I summarized articles, and the name or website behind the post adds the gravitas I might lack about a topic. Don’t forget that songs count as quotes, too.
Possible Name Change for WQW??????
The challenge, “Writer’s Quotes Wednesdays” has changed a lot since Colleen hosted this challenge. For one, I’m not the writer she is. I am more of a photo diarist or journalist. Poetry plays into my writing sometimes, but rarely stories because I have too much reality to share (and I’m not super creative that way).
Most of you like the idea of a name change to Wednesday Fun Quotes, and some of you had some other inspired ideas. Thank you for responding to the question.
- “Inspired Wednesdays”
- “Wednesday Quotes, Photos & More”
- “Friday Fun Quotes”
- “Writer’s Quotes Wednesday” is fine.
Do you have a favorite name for this challenge?
More Important Question
Even more important than the name is whether or not the challenge is relevant and compelling to your blogging experience. When I compare this challenge to photo challenges like “Lens-Artists Weekly Challenge,” “Thursday Doors,” “Flower of the Day,” “Squares,” or “Sunday Stills,” I wonder if is a challenge that makes you hunt for photos or provides fodder for stories or poems.
I had such fun when Janet of This That and the Other Thing was here in Prescott. We walked downtown searching for unusual doors. With Terri of Second Wind Leisure and Kirstin of Loving Life searching Ft. Vancouver we found the color of lava or took compelling pictures for Sunday Stills.
WQW does not have themes that remain the same and are easy to remember – like doors, windows, benches, public art, etc. Do the WQW themes and topics inspire you?
Thinking ahead to next year, do you think WQW fills an important niche in the blogging challenge world? And finally, IF it IS a challenge you enjoy, what name might describe the challenge accurately and compellingly?
The last question – Is WQW or whatever the new title might be – a challenge that you might be interested in co-hosting next year?
Ongoing on Always Write
- PPAC Photographing Public Art each Friday – no theme – one more day to post for this week.
- Upcoming topics for WQW
- October 19: Cold Weather Tips
- October 26: Holiday: Halloween/or Writer’s Choice/ or YOUR WOTY Review
For a list of past WQW posts visit my WQW Page
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
51 responses to “WQW #39: Brace for Windy Days”
[…] late September while visiting Portland, Oregon with my buddy, Marsha Ingrao, we made the short drive to Vancouver, Washington across the Columbia River to visit Fort […]
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Hi Marsha, here’s mine
http://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2022/10/18/when-the-wind-blows/
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Thanks, Sadje. You are quite a poet!
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Thanks Marsha
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[…] for WQW # 39- October 12: Air: Wind, Storms, hosted by […]
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My recent experiences with wind and storms pale in comparison to what you describe and I have seen in the media about Hurricane Ian -my sympathies go to all those affected – and yet in a much smaller way stormy weather is bringing changes for us too.
I do enjoy your WQW prompts even if I don’t post in time often! I do love searching out quotes too so it gives me a chance to use my archive photos, or make new ones to fit.
Thanks for the opportunity.
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Thanks for the lovely comment Liana. It made my day! 🙂
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[…] Roy T. Bennett https://alwayswrite.blog/2022/10/12/wqw-39-brace-for-windy-days-ahead/?wref=tp […]
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We enjoyed family fun at the pumpkin patch just yesterday under similarly rain-laden cloud cover. Didn’t see a drop of precipitation but the overcast skies made the whole afternoon much more comfortable. Your photo is outstanding. So moody.
I have added the prompts for the next 2 Wednesdays to a post I have started that includes photos for the Lysha’s iSpy challenges and Terri’s Sunday Stills. I have been away from blogging and photography for months but missed both. Hope to ease back into blogging slowly and gently.
What is wrong with this country that the folks that need flood insurance the most can’t afford it?? Good grief. I live in El Paso where we have so little rain that more than an inch falling in a day can cause problems and concerns. We had a devastating monsoon season in 2008 or 2009 where several inches fell in a very short span and our streets flooded, neighbor’s homes were destroyed inside. Amazing what water and wind can do.
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Thanks for linking to my magnolia post Marsha. I usually enjoy using quotes in my posts and go looking for them if I’m writing about a particular topic. I like the way you describe your blog and you seem keen to change the WQW in some way – having said that I feel a bit bad because I tend to write about random things, as I have the urge and forget to check what challenges are out there that could fit in with my post. I’m not a huge planner when it comes to blogging and I feel I haven’t joined in regularly enough with your challenge to make comments on how or what you should do to change it up. I participate in a few challenges regularly and do like the fact that the topic is known ahead of time like Terri’s Sunday Stills, and then if I have anything to offer for that week I’ll write a post. I should look at linking in to other challenges at the same time but I never seem to be that organised! You’re doing a great job Marsha 🙂
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Thanks, Deb. It is time-consuming to link, and I don’t always do it. I know hosts appreciate when people link. To be honest, I’m not unhappy with the participation. The people who participate regularly are as active as I am with it! There are always lots of comments and it give me a chance to journal about my travels, usually. I kind of use Natalie’s challenge to wrap up things I’ve missed during the week. The PPAC has become a focus for photography. I don’t know that it’s the best of even the most interesting because I’m not creating art, I’m just documenting it. That said, the photos make great puzzles, which are my current mindless passion right now. But you know bloggers, we always try to change things up and make them more relevant to our fellow bloggers and keep it interesting for ourselves.
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Hi Marsha, I was about 10 days early for your ‘wind and rain’ prompt. Not by choice, but by circumstance. I wrote about Ian in this post https://picture-retirement.com/2022/10/02/the-price-of-living-in-paradise/. It doesn’t qualify for your challenge, since I didn’t use quotes, but I thought you might like to read my thoughts about living in Florida and specifically this hurricane.
I am inspired by your quote challenges and I like that you publish the subject ahead of time. It gives me time to figure out how to fit it into my regular post. Much like you, my blog is a photo journal and I enjoy incorporating challenges that make sense. I understand that you might want a fresh look for WQW, but I still like the old name and format. I think you have clearly articulated what this challenge is about and your posts illustrate each subject matter perfectly.
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Wow, thank you so much, Suzanne. That comment made my day! 🙂
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[…] This post inspired by Marsha’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Wind and Storms […]
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[…] Marsha’s Writers Quotes Wednesday: Air, Wind and Storms […]
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Hi Marsha,, great videos. I like storms, normal ones not hurricanes. We’ve had no rain for six months.
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That’s a very long time to go without, Robbie. We often went that long in California, but we sure don’t here! Lots of rain today. 🙂
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Nice, I don’t like dry but I do like hot 😉
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I’d prefer a little warmer. I think Hawaii would suit me fine.
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💕
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Wow that is wild to watch the power of nature.. Glad you are safe Marsha❣️
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We were never in any danger in Prescott. It’s just enough wind to be exciting.
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Oh good and it kicked in pretty well!!
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For us it was quite a gale! 🙂 I’m not moving to Florida any time soon. 🙂
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It’s blowing a gale here today so this post is very apt. Luckily it’s not pouring rain like it is in the southern states, where widespread flooding is occurring. We went through a cyclone when we lived in Darwin in the 1980s. It was only a category 1 storm but that was bad enough.
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They are categories for a reason. If something makes it to a 1 it’s bad enough. Same as earthquakes! A five is bad enough to notice. Things fall off walls, but usually people don’t get hurt. I’m glad it wasn’t as bad as 1980.
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Yes, we lost all the banana trees in our back yard but there wasn’t any damage to buildings. Not like Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Day 1974, which completely destroyed Darwin.
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Bananas are pretty fragile in California. Not many places can grow them. Forget it in Prescott! You have such an amazing assortment of plants. I think everything grows where you live. It’s amazing as much travelling as you do that your plants stay nice. I’m sorry you lost your bananas, though. 😦
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We don’t grow them here, it’s too cold. But Darwin is tropical. They were plantain bananas, so only good for cooking. And they grew back pretty fast.
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That’s good!
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we’ve got typhoons in the Philippines…
https://ladyleemanilablog.wordpress.com/2022/10/12/wqw-39-could-be-windy-could-be-stormy/
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Quotes often hit the nail on the head and I wish I’d thought of them, Marsha, but they would almost never prompt me to write a blog post. I just don’t think that way. Sorry 🙄💖
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No worries. You have your own to run. I don’t have time to post to everyone’s challenge, but I do love to read them. 🙂 I’m happy to have you as a visitor and a good friend. 🙂
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🤗💖
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Well done Marsha. I’m currently on blog break but I wanted to approve the pingbacks asap. Thank you for thinking of me. … and I invite your readers to stop by.
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You have a lot of wealth on your blog, Frank. 🙂
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Wow, the photos and videos of the extreme weather gave me goose-bumps…I know we are all aware of the weird weather around the world this year, but – when it hits home – it must be devastating. When we retired from the UK to live in Spain, ‘im indoors read up on the usual climatic conditions in the Costa Blanca region and the World Health organization pronounced it as being “The healthiest part of Spain,” so that’s where we settled. Apart from the extreme heat of July and August (humid) .living near to the Med has been an enjoyable experience, but – like many places on the planet, this year the weather has been strange, with far more humidity than ever; while living near the sea does help! Take care. xx
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I would love to check out living in Spain. I’ve never traveled there even, but it is on my bucket list, Joy. 🙂
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Barcelona, Madrid, and Valencia are brilliant cities to visit Marsha and Spain is a large, varied, super country to explore. We’ve poked around many foreign corners in our travels over the years, and lived in Toronto, Canada for 18 fascinating months before our three, ‘handsome’ (natch!), sons were born. Great memories for old age! xx
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Very, I’ve only been to the west side of Canada, but seeing pictures of some of my blogging friends makes me want to see Toronto at least! I’ve been to several European countries, but it’s quite a trip. Some of our friends leave for a cruise tomorrow in Italy, Spain, Sicily, and France, I think. Her husband is 75 and she is 65. They are going to Egypt in May. Another neighbor is in Turkey visiting her daughter for the next two weeks. She is close to 80 and all by herself on this trip, so it can be done!
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Great shots of various weather patterns, Marsha! It was refreshing to go from very warm Portland back to our area and into one day of rain. Hot again here, LOL! This week’s WQW theme will go very nicely with my upcoming “fleeting moments” theme this Sunday. After seeing what my dad went through with the fire, even though their house was spared, these natural disasters are devastating in countless ways. You know how much I enjoy WQW. How about Weekly Fun Quotes? Hmmm, photo diarist–I really like that!
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That’s a good thought. I do love looking up quotes to go with a theme, so I would miss doing WQW, but it doesn’t have to be on Wednesday. That’s the day it was traditionally, and since I’m still doing PPAC, I would continue doing the challenge on Wednesdays, but not necessarily call it that.
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Hi, Marsha, thanks for including my post here. Regarding your challenge, maybe a separate site for it? There’s so much going on in all your posts, which I greatly enjoy, but the challenge part kind of gets lost for me. As for storms, I lived for 10 years in “tornado alley,” where my family had basements and cellars outside of the house. Later, I lived in South (East) Florida on the coast, at a time when flood insurance was required. The last year I was there, I had to evacuate 5 times. (One of the many things that encouraged me to leave!) The whole state is so vulnerable, and I believe as the planet gets hotter, the storms will get worse. My mother lives in the central part of the state, and I wish she would agree to come to Arizona! Have a great week, my friend! 🌞
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Like I said, I visited there as a teen, but I would never want to live there even without hurricanes. It is way to humid for me. Thanks for the good input about WQW.
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Prayers for all affected 🙏💜💜💜
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Yes, what a blow (no pun intended) to lose everything. We never expect that it will happen to us. We can never prepare for total loss even if we did expect it. Thanks for reading, Willow. Have a great day.
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Take Marsha I hope you will be alright 💜💜
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Willow, just to clarify – because I can be confusing! I wasn’t in Ian, I was just commiserating with how awful it must be for those who were.
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I am so glad to hear that you were safe and my thoughts are still going out to those who were 💜🙏🙏
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Mine too.
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💜💜
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