Say what you will about the new "wind farm" near Milford, the turbines are not "windmills of the mind." They are very real and producing real electricity for 45,000 homes.

As others push dreams about drilling more domestic oil or share their visions of nuclear power, there is something to be said for actually getting something done.

We applaud those behind the Milford Wind Corridor project for their hands-on, can-do attitudes.

It's easy to romanticize wind farms, of course. The bright, white rotary blades spinning in silence seem to have dropped in from a bygone era. If, at some point, they are no longer needed, one can also imagine them being dismantled without leaving a mark.

They are, in effect, the greenest of green technology.

Still, reality must intrude. And thinking that wind power will one day produce all of our electrical needs is a bit of a dream in itself. Just as it's wise to diversify one's stock portfolio, it's wise to diversify sources of power. Along with the "wind chime" alternatives of solar and wind power, hydro-electric power, coal-fired power and — yes — even nuclear power should be considered workable options.

Meanwhile, near Milford, the "wind farm" will eventually include 159 turbines (there are currently 97). It also will stretch across 40 square miles of public and private land. In short, it will become a "virtual forest" of giant pinwheels. The one drawback, if it can be called that, is the power generated will be going to Los Angeles for the next 20 years. Still, the project shows what's possible. And the cooperation between government agencies and private enterprise has been exemplary.

The new Wind Corridor shows that wind power is more than a fantasy. It is a reality waiting to happen. "Catch the wind" may have been used as an expression to describe futility in the past. But now, thanks to First Wind and its public and private partners, "catch the wind" means taking a lofty dream and making it happen.