American Dirt

Yesterday proved to be a weird day.

The sky clouded over and the wind picked up, blowing brown dust from the recently-harvested fields EVERYWHERE.

The stop signs shook in the gale. The large tree in the elementary school playground blew over.

When we walked outside, the horizon was a dull brown, distorted with dust clouds.

I've seen this kind of thing before, but it wasn't here. It was in Tianjin, Fall of 2001. Red dust blew in then. Looking out the window, you felt like you were on Mars.

Aaron says he's never seen dust like this in Prosser.

Today is a beautiful clear-blue day, but the dust still coats everything outside. When Anna ran through the backyard grass ahead of me this afternoon, her feet kicked up clouds of gray-brown. Dust coats the rims and sills of doors and windows.

I almost feel like I'm back in China. If people here want to know what I mean by things being dirty there, they just have to step outside anywhere in Prosser today.

In fact, it makes me a little "home" sick. Just a little.