The Wind

We have lots of windy days here. And I'm not talking about gentle breezes. These are the seriously gusty, blow the birds out of their nests, "Why did you wear a skirt to work, you dummy?" kind of days. Nasty allergy days, when you can practically see the pollen flying around, and you just scratch your head and wonder why only half a dozen of the windmills over the Altamont Pass ever seem to be turning. On these days, we play wind games. A recent one involved putting leaves at the top of the slide and watching them blow down (or off). Another time, we let the wind roll cherries along the grooves in the picnic table (well, gravity actually played a big role in that one). And bubbles are always a great adventure in gale force winds. Today, it was a rousing game of "Tree Rockets".
Okay, so this is probably going to sound seriously unfun, but you've got to pretend you're four, and go from there.....
Trevi has a rocket blaster thing with foam rockets. You stick the rocket on the end of the air tube, stomp on the stomper part, and watch her fly. You can probably guess that I'm not all that enthused about kids playing with projectiles (that aren't sports related), but as projectiles go, these ones aren't too bad. So, the object of "Tree Rockets" is to get all four rockets stuck in the mulberry trees simultaneously. You need to work fast, and aim well, or else the wind will blow them down before you can accomplish your goal.
If a rocket is completely stuck, we toss a badminton racket up to dislodge it, which results in the occasional stuck badminton racket (looking for its birdie, perhaps?), and it usually takes a baseball bat to knock the racket down. Beyond that, we just sit and wait for the wind to pick up. The game usually ends when all of the rockets are on the roof, or in someone else's yard. And by then, it's usually time for dinner anyway. So, although the wind may wreak havoc with my contact lenses, it can be a great playmate for all of us.