Flood May 3, 2009

 

Friday night we went to bed and in the morning woke up to this:

 

 

Um, this is our front lawn.  Yeah, and that’s the bridge we use to cross the creek to get to the main road…the road that you would normally see in this photo, but is not visible at all due to the water.  All that debris on top of the bridge?  That’s from the water actually having been above the level of the bridge at one point, and the debris was deposited there when the water level receded some.  Right now the water level is down A LOT – the street is visible and drivable now.  However half our driveway on the other side of the bridge was washed away, as was part of our fence near the driveway.  There was a 3 foot vertical drop down from the edge of the bridge to the ground on the other side…couldn’t drive my car over to save my life (or go to work).  So, our friendly neighbors with heavy dirt moving equipment came by to shovel some dirt up to the bridge and now our cars are parked uphill a bit on the other side of the road.  I didn’t think I would make it to work tomorrow, but thankfully I think I will be able to.  

 

So many other people are not so lucky – their houses and cars were flooded (and still are).  I can still remember the first thing Eric said when he woke up Sunday morning: “Suzanne, I think we lost the alpacas.”  The kids started crying…we ran out there to check, and THANKFULLY they were OK…up to their necks in water, but still alive.  We moved them to the workshop where they are now dry and safe.  Our entire pasture was 4-5 ft deep in water.  About a third of the bike path is destroyed, and a ton of creek sediment and rock has been deposited in various places, while in other places the creek decided to carve a new path.  Not really sure what things are going to look like when it all dries out.  I just hope it dries out soon!  It’s still raining now, and supposed to rain for the next couple days. 

 

Ironically we watched “Evan Almighty” yesterday while we were stuck inside the house.  I think pretty soon WE are going to have to build an ARK.

Maddy’s epiphany May 1, 2009

 

What?  Two posts in one day?  Yes…that’s how I roll.  I don’t always have time to post, so I have to do it all when I can!  It’s a slow Friday around here, and there’s rain going on outside, so I might as well!

So here’s the story, as told by my dear husband Eric: 

 

Eric was on the computer last night and he was typing away, rapidly writing emails to potential camper parents and former camper parents.  He was trying to drum up business!  Go Eric! 

It was late and Maddy (our 8 year old) was tired.  Her little head drooping and eyes getting sleepy as she leaned on him and watched him type.  All of a sudden, as she was watching him, she must have realized that

1) he wasn’t looking at the keys while he typed, and

2) he was typing really fast. 

Her eyes get as big as saucers and she says “HOW are you doing that?”  Eric: “Doing what?”  Maddy: “Typing like that.  You are going so fast, and you AREN”T LOOKING AT THE KEYS!”  “And the keys aren’t even in ORDER…not A, B, C…it’s like “Q, W, E” “How do you do that Dad?”  Eric laughs and says “I’ve been typing a long time.  Someday when you are my age you’ll be able to do this too.”  Maddy says “but I don’t even use the computer now!”  Eric says “Well, when I was your age we didn’t even HAVE computers!”

 

Ahhh, now doesn’t that make you feel…old?

Little Yellow Baby May 1, 2009

 

Hello!  I know I haven’t been blogging much.  I have a lot to say, but not much time to actually write it down.  I promise to try and write more often.  Who on earth am I speaking to?  Myself?  Because I know no one really reads this blog (yet).

OK, Ellie loves worms and things, like caterpillars.  She seems to have an affection for them.  I try not to instill my hatred for all things creepy crawly into her, because I think its quite lovely that she loves little things like that, and that she is quite the girly girl too.

However.  I must admit to being a little more than squigged out this morning when I saw what she had in the palm of her hand.  As I was loading my car she started saying “little yellow baby”, “look mama, I have a little yellow baby wormie”.  I’m like “OK dear, just a minute”, and continued putting things into the car and shutting the door.  I then went over to her and saw what was in her hand.  O. M. G.  She had a maggot in her hand.  No way!  “Ok dear, put that down now.  That isn’t a WORM, that is a MAGGOT”.  She puts it down and proceeds to run into the house and shout to her dad “Hey daddy, I was playing with a MAGNET!” 

I think I draw the line at playing with maggots.  Eric, I love you.  Can you please clean up the food scrap bucket outside the door now?  Thank you so much dear.