Nostalgia and Thoughts: The Windy/Stormy City

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I think Hutchinson can now claim the distinction of being the windy city. I bet we had more days in March and April with over 50 mile an hour winds than Chicago. Today, as I am starting this story, in mid May, is no exception and the wind is really blowing.

The wind today is not as bad as it has been lately when it was hitting the north wall and howling all night at 60 mph. A few nights I thought the window on the north wall above the bed was going to blow into the house.

I got used to it though and could sleep through it. When it stopped blowing in the middle of the night I woke up immediately. It would be great to have one week in Kansas with no wind like the southern states. They only have wind when a bad storm is moving in.

This morning I have the window on the west wall in the office open and enjoying no wind and the cool temperature. BUT….. this will not last long. They claim that it could get nasty again tonight with a chance for large hail and maybe severe weather. I need to get things together to take to the basement so it is down there in case we have to hide out.

Hopefully if I pack a few clothes and necessary items we would need if something happened… it won’t happen. My husband is getting things ready to put all three vehicles in our oversized 2 car garage. It is a job he has done many times. I need to go help him, my job is to stand and tell him if it needs to be over one way or the other.

It has been 30 minutes since I finished the last paragraph. The three cars are in the garage so we are ready for whatever might or might not happen. The Vehicle Dollies he bought at Harbor Freight this morning sure made it easier moving the back end of the Ranger pickup where he wanted it.

Here is the drill to get all three vehicles in a 2 car garage. 1. We turn all the mirrors of the three vehicles in so they are almost flat and he can get the vehicles closer together.

  1. The two cars are removed from the garage and left near the street, then he drives the pickup in at an angle all the way to the back steps into the house on the north wall and the front bumper is almost touching the east wall. This area is usually the walk way to the back door.
  2. The bed of the truck is jacked up and the dollies are pushed under the back wheels. The jack is lowered to set the wheels on the dollies. Then the bed of the tuck can be pushed over to the east wall where he wants it.
  3. The Sebring convertible is brought back into the garage after the top is put down. He gets it as close to the beauty shop wall on the west side of the garage as he dares. (The shop area had been designed as a work space and for tools but we closed it in and it became my one chair beauty shop). I guide him when he pulls it in by the wall. He now climbs over the console and out the passenger side.
  4. The Honda Accord can be pulled in between the two vehicles. It’s amazing to see all three of them side by side in the garage. He has put them in before but he didn’t have the dollies so moving the bed of the truck was done with the jack that has wheels but it wasn’t easy.

It is the day after car musical chairs and it’s time to get the cars out of the garage. Of course after putting them all in last night it didn’t do anything. Taking the three cars out of the garage is actually easier than putting them in. The Honda is backed out first and down to the end of the drive out of the way.

The bed of the pickup is pulled away from the right wall. The truck is jacked up to get the back wheels off the dollies. The dollies are pulled out and the wheels are lowered to the floor. The truck is backed out of the garage and down the drive. It is parked next to the Honda near the street.

Finally the convertible can be backed up and moved over into its normal parking space on the west side of the garage, with room to open the driver’s door.

The Honda comes back into its normal spot on the east side of the garage with the walkway left open to the back door and space to walk between it and the convertible. The pickup is pulled up near the garage door into its normal spot and the move is complete.

It’s amazing how easily he can move the bed of the pickup sideways with the vehicle dollies. If there were dollies under all 4 wheels even I could push the pickup over to the wall. I’m sure he will have lots of practice using the dollies this summer; because we are living in Hutchinson the new windy/stormy city. To Contact Sandy: [email protected]

 

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