random thoughts – Day 1,444 – (Thursday) – wind and cake

The morning began with a thumping, thwacking sound. While the coffee brewed, I ran to the windows and looked out the door to see if maybe the gate to the deck or the front fencing was unlatched and blowing in the wind. Mine were okay, but the next-door neighbor’s fence and gate were not so good. The fence is tall, maybe eight feet, with no lattice feature on the top for wind to pass through, so it takes a beating on the windy days.

Wind warning.

Last night’s and today’s wind was hammering the tall gate in the neighbor’s tall fence. The gate was blowing back and slamming into the fence panel. The fencepost the gate latches onto looked shredded and the endcap was gone.

A high wind warning had been issued on Wednesday in effect until 7:00 am today. The wind failed to heed the stop time of the warning and blew continuously all day, slamming the neighbor's gate back and forth into their fence. My own house creaked and groaned and made noises not heard before. 

The wind warning included a note that "People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches." It was a good day to be working remotely and not leave the house. At all. You know, better safe than sorry.

While the wind raged outside, work ticked along inside. There was much progress. Projects were approved. Lists were updated.

Then, the post-work domestic front saw progress. Being Leap Day, it felt like something special should happen. And being windy, it was not going to be a gym day. Lately, I'll do anything to avoid going to the gym, and especially when there are million mile an hour winds gusting outside. So I baked a cake. 

Let me eat cake!

It was from a boxed carrot cake mix my sister gave me, with canned frosting bought a couple months ago for the mix. I couldn’t remember the last time I baked a cake from a box mix, but there I was, blending and mixing and adding fresh grated carrots, raisins, and chopped walnuts to the batter because I could. 

It baked. It cooled. It was frosted. One-fourth of the double layer masterpiece was consumed. Because that’s how I roll. 

Meanwhile, the new roomie, Queen Kiki, relaxed behind the couch and on the chair. She resisted my efforts to coax her out so I could stroke her little face. I’m trying to work up to brushing her pretty kitty coat, but the one time I was able to grab the brush and get it near her, she bolted back behind the couch. Someday, maybe. But not today.