My walk down to what is known as the ‘creek’ but is really a river (we also have another river steps away from the creek) showed me just how bad this storm was around here. I’ve never seen the level of the creek so high, completely covering little trees that were on bits of land within the river. The sound of the water is so loud, even this morning. I stood on the bridge (which has a deepening crack in the road – I called the county to report it) and looked down on the water, stunned. Then I walked down the road that my neighbor lives on, which also leads to a very popular campground. The entrance to the road said ‘road closed’ and it was quickly evident why it was closed. The water from the creek was right up to the doors of two different houses, one of which is a sort of shack, but lived in and maintained by a guy I’ve spoken to before. They weren’t trapped, as they could get out the back door, but it was frighteningly close. And down the road, another home that had been raised with supports (I’m not sure what you call them) under it because of another storm – that storm happened a few months after we moved in – had water covering the entire property.
The road to the campground was closed because water was completely covering the road. At 2:30 am, they had to evacuate everyone camping there. Everyone was transported to our fire station.
Don went into the neighboring town and the river had flooded the area called ‘the flats.’ Roads were closed. Bridges were closed. And this doesn’t take into account the horrific scenes in NYC, the tragic deaths throughout the Northeast.
I’m going to walk down there with Don when I finish this post to see how much of the water has receded.
We are on higher ground. The creek which is across the street is well below my neighbor’s property. And we are at a higher elevation than they are. The elevation changes that make mowing this property a bit of a pain are, it turns out, a good thing.
It’s a beautiful day today. The ground is very soggy, but as so often happens, you’d never guess what was happening two days ago.
After nearly a month of not painting, I did start one the other day. But I haven’t been able to get back to it because of…life. I was supposed to coach Ben yesterday via Zoom, but he asked if we could do it today instead as he’s got a heavy filming schedule and he’s just plain tired. So today, I’ll be working in the afternoon.
Stay safe.
Happy Friday.
I can’t tell you how glad I am that you and Don stayed high and dry! I have been watching the news being reported from New York City with one hand over my mouth and the other over my heart. Just heartbreaking. Ida had me watching the news with my hands in the same place for days. I just couldn’t believe the devastation. So many prayers for every soul that has been affected. Today I will be visiting a friend I grew up with. She lives in San Francisco, but is up to take care of her mom’s estate. We have decided on wearing masks. You two stay safe and dry.
So happy you’re going to get to visit with your friend, Tana.
Stay safe!
The effects of Ida are widespread. A down draft wind in an outer band of Ida snapped our huge oak in half, crushing our AC unit and tearing apart part of our roof, luckily no one was injured. Dealing with insurance and contractors now, no AC in Florida is the worst part!
I’m so very sorry that happened to you! My goodness!
Sending positive thoughts your way, Jen.
Stay safe.
On Wednesday evening, because of Ida, 7 confirmed tornadoes touched down in southeastern Pennsylvania and my area of southern New Jersey. A mile from my home hundreds of trees and electric lines were leveled. Six miles from here an EF-3 tornado severely damaged several homes and totally destroyed others. Thankfully all of the families went down into their basements, and there were no fatalities. The damage is shocking.
In the same township New Jersey’s largest dairy farm with 1400 cows was also ravaged by that tornado. They lost millions of dollars worth of equipment, barns and buildings and 3 of the cows perished. The destruction is devastating.
My home doesn’t have a basement. So when I found out earlier in the day that our entire area was at high risk for tornadoes I packed a bag and took my dog and headed for my best friend’s house. When our phones started sounding the alert for the tornado warnings we headed to the basement. Thankfully, there was no damage to my home or my friend’s.
Philadelphia is still dealing with severe flooding in several areas.
Climate change is very evident and I don’t know how anyone can deny it.
We saw all those tornado warnings and were concerned for everyone in PA and NJ. Glad you were able to take cover with a friend, Denise.
I lived in Philadelphia and still have friends there and the photos they have posted are shocking. Flooding is still a factor up here in the Hudson Valley as well. What a terrible storm.
Happy you’re safe.
Absolutely shocking seeing the news reports last night. The force of the water on the Subway and those poor people who drowned in their basement homes.
Glad that you and Don are safe and hopefully everyone on here is too.
Not doing much this weekend but I going to relax with Gardener’s World later this evening.
Happy Friday
It was a terrible tragedy. My heart breaks for all those who were lost.
Thanks, Dee Dee.
Stay safe.
I was watching the news about the storm last night and I was so sad to see all the destruction and loss of life. Its a very scary thing. I’m glad you and Don are on higher ground. Keeping all of you in my thoughts.
Thank you, Linda.
So many lives lost.
Stay safe.
Wow — that’s a little close for comfort. I was thinking about you as I watched the news, wondering how bad it was. I’m so grateful that you avoided the water. There is much to be said for higher ground.
Take care. Painting time will come.
Thanks, Jeanie.
Stay safe!
Glad your home is safe from flooding. That’s a good start on your painting – I like those colors! Keep safe!
Thank you Ellen. They’re the colors of a Roseville vase of mine.
Stay safe.
So grateful you and Don were spared any weather-related catastrophes, like to your home and property but mainly yourselves. I’ve never been to the Midwest or Northeast or really even the southeast, but I actually HAVE been to Louisiana, loved every part of it I saw (like Avery Island, New Iberia, Lafayette, New Orleans, Baton Rouge) and my heart aches for those who are suffering as well as for all loss of life there and particularly in the Northeast where the weather was so awful (it’s ALL awful, wherever that hurricane did its badness) and so unusual (unbelievable to, via the TV/web, see that flooding in NYC and even in Central Park).
I worried about someone I know in Pittsburgh where apparently there’s a confluence of rivers. And my next-door neighbor of several years past who moved permanently to Maryland. (I worry about everything; I worry about outside pets, barnyard animals, field animals, wildlife like the raccoons and possums and hedgehogs, squirrels and birds and bears and rabbits; like how can they escape hellacious hurricanes/tornados and water rise, when their habitats are flooded, too?)
Is there no place safe? I don’t think so. I’m in the west and we have earthquakes and wildfire and horrendous winds as well as drought. Mother Nature and the planet don’t seem too happy with us in 2021.
Just wish one and all here a calmer holiday weekend. I haven’t watched Rachel in a while and she was saying last night how there is just too much in the news/headlines; overwhelming. “Multiples.” My teeth are hurting because I’ve been involuntary clenching and I know it’s because I’m too tense with being tuned in to too much disaster with Afghanistan, politics back home, Calif fires, Hurricane Ida, the worsening Covid cases (just ask me how many people [mostly retirees] I know, when I don’t even know that many people, who have canceled long-planned, after-Labor Day getaways when it had, briefly, seemed safe to indeed DO any planning after 18 months of hell [lockdown]; my husband and I drove by a new pop-up Covid testing site yesterday and the long lines are back, tough memories of a year of more ago; at least people are getting tested rather than not; I glanced at a MSN poll earlier today online, with 300,000 respondents and counting, with 90 percent saying they were staying home for Labor Day 2021; me, too; our SoCalif beaches should have a beautiful few days, but ‘way too crowded, SO many people, which is why we beat the rush and spent a few hours at the shore two days ago [I’m not into crowds!]).
Thanks for letting us know how you fared thru the horrible weather; it was interesting to hear you describe your surroundings in the aftermath. You and Don do seem to be well situated on the higher ground and away somewhat from the road. I can’t remember: Do you have a basement or cellar? (An attic?) Gosh am I reading about a lot of flooded basements right now; my husband’s niece in Maryland (near Baltimore) had four feet of water in hers. I can’t imagine what a mess; guess you have to pump it out and just pray for no mold, right?
My advice (even though I battle this, too – I worry a lot) is to give yourself a task, or do whatever thing that will take your mind off all of this. That’s what I’ve had to do. The world is a mess right now and it seems to be getting worse. I’ll do what I can, but I’m not going to let ANY of this consume me. I can’t. I don’t want my last years to be filled with constant worry and I have to work very hard, every hour of every day, to keep it at bay.
Free advice and you’re welcome to ignore it! I just finished mowing and I’m exhausted but it helped me to escape from all the news and I feel relaxed. Have a peaceful weekend, my friend.
Stay safe, Vicki.
Excellent advice and I needed to hear it; be reminded. You’re always the sane one here!
I do recall the family doctor telling my aging and restless (progressively retiring from self-employment) dad, who was caregiver to Mom (she the more comfortable as a rule to just be indoors and do crafts/etc even BEFORE she fell victim to auto-immune disease), to GET OUT THERE, at least once every day, do something, get outside if you can in the sun and the light and the wind in the trees, get your mind off stuff for a little while; sometimes go somewhere else if possible, like in the car or take a walk, gather the small achievements or wee, new discoveries wherever you can get them (we all need that feeling of satisfaction and/or discovery or experience, no matter how small, to earmark our days so that one day just doesn’t blend into another day with no distinction, making it feel like the days are slipping by as if we have no control; when, in fact, we do [so, you know, clean out that junk drawer tomorrow!]).
But, yeah, I’m back in that bad groove where I’m not watching the cable/network shows that are TV entertainment, nor films on TV like good ‘ol TCM, but instead am filling up my head with news headlines one after the other with the evening news-chat shows; and, once again, it HAS to stop. Last night, I fell into a spotty snooze on the sofa, somewhat late because my husband was up late; then, I woke up after less than three hours and was WIDE AWAKE from like 3:30am onward, and I never went back to bed; so, it’s now dinnertime/nearing 6pm and I AM FRIED. It’s just dangerous at this age; it’s not youth where we could burn the candle at both ends.
So, thanks for weighing in and gently smacking me upside the head (it’s just an expression [I should find another]; I’m a non-violent person). Besides which, ohmygosh, it IS Fall, no matter where in the U.S. any of us are, and it’s speaking again to pumpkins, apples, cinnamon, oven-casseroles, hot cocoa and the wonderful series of holidays from here to the new year, to be ENJOYED and not just skimmed over due to preoccupation of other (negative, unhappy, unsettling) things!
(Even though you’re working in these future weeks, you’ll still have time to delight in your cottage’s coziness as you go back & forth between job and home, Claudia. In reference to your Sept 4 post, I think I can feel the satisfying feeling you’re having … relief, actually … of knowing you’re contributing to the family income. For years, due to my health, I couldn’t, which then made me feel better than that once I knew I had a social security check coming in every month to the household budget, and a couple of my teeny pension benefits helped us, too. Otherwise, I was wringing my hands over it being so one-sided and difficult for my husband; who, at times, worked three jobs at once to take up the slack of being the sole wage earner in our family of two. For the first ten years of our marriage, we both worked long and hard jobs outside the home, so it felt so unbalanced when just one of us was bringing home the bacon [oops, don’t mean to conjure up something gross to a vegetarian!].)
Have a lovely Sunday, Claudia. Oh, how I love those colorful zinnias in your Saturday post on the other page. Aren’t they a delight! My husband trimmed a ton of aloe vera yesterday from our back hillside (and I mean it was heaped in big piles at the end of our driveway, pulled from the roots) and, smart him — he advertised it for free on craigslist and within a couple of hours, at least three sets of people (that we know of) stopped by and took heaps for replanting, since it’s highly sought-after by some for the ‘salve’/healing benefit and I suppose also decorative qualities for a yard (as it is for us). Nothing was wasted!! We often get lucky with this in a reciprocal way, like when my husband needed dirt, and somebody advertised (for free) many cubic yards of perfectly-decent soil (from digging out to put in a in-ground a swimming pool). It’s really a win-win and is a kind of friendly thing. “Recycling” is good!
Much love to you, Vicki. As you’ll see from today’s post, I am wrestling with the same thing.
xo
Ida certainly left a very long path of destruction across the United States. My son moved from Albany to Queens and fortunately though they have flooding all around them, they were in a safe spot. Crazy times out there. Take care.
Did your son graduate, Tammy?
I’m glad they were safe in Queens.
Stay safe.