the sands of time

june 21, 2004 is a day citizens of amarillo will not soon forget. if you're like me, you don't remember that exact date (i had to look it up) but if you lived in amarillo that day, you'll recall an event most will take to their grave. it was on that june evening that amarillo was struck by a thunderstorm bearing hail stones the size of tennis balls, baseballs, softballs and some stones as large as grapefruit. the storm hammered the city. the west side, which BTW is where we live, was hardest hit. we have two, 2 ft. by 4 ft. skylights in the lviing room. i'm here to tell you that having ball sized hail crashing through the skylights into your living room will perk your adrenaline level right on up there. fast forward, our insurance company replaced the roof, the skylights and the windows in the master bedroom. soon after that storm, i promised myself we would get hail guards to cover those new skylights. no more hail crashing inside the house for me thank you. as i'm likely the worlds worst procrastinator, i spent 3 or 5 summers sweating out whether each coming storm would be a repeat of the one in 2004. luckily, we haven't had a repeat of that storm. finally, i did order the hail guards and they are steadfastly standing guard over the skylights. still, i don't care to see the storm that carries hail stones that large ever again, even with the skylight protection in place. that brings me to where i was going with this piece when i started it. i've mentioned the winds we have here in the spring. i was sitting in the living room the other day, the winds were howling outside. the sound of the wind whistling through the hail guards took me back to the spring days of my youth. it reminded me of riding out similar days cooped up in the cracker box of a house i grew up in. day after day, the spring wind raced and the whipping sand did it's best to blast whatever was in it's path. many days were so windy and sandy it just wasn't worth trying to venture out. even on a good day the tv's rabbit ears antenna were doing good to pick up the two available channels on our small black and white. of necessity, on bad days, kids were forced to find their amusement elsewhere; sand stormy days left a kid with no other choice. isn't it odd that something as simple as the sound of wind can trigger a memory. i recall an easter Sunday so sandy out the easter egg hunt had to be moved indoors. not the prettiest of memories, i grant you. although it's a fond one, it's still not one i'd wish for you on this coming easter sunday. have a very happy, safe and beautful easter weekend, ya'll. and i'm out