6-9-11

What a difference a day makes!!

I was chatting the other evening, with one of Davenports daughters. She mentioned that her parents had come up to visit her, but seemed worried and anxious to get back home. I thought I understood THEN what her parents might have been feeling.

I, too, have begun to feel uncomfortable when not at home. Whether I am sitting at the park with friends, or walking the aisles at a local grocery store, my mind is drawn again and again to what is going on just outside of my home.

I have never in my live given a second thought to the safety of my home, to the risk of my neighbors home, to the measurement of water in the area, to the erosion damage and tree damage said water might be creating....

Yet now it seems to live with me. An unsettled feeling. A feeling of needing to be there, needing to know.

And yet life does go on. Sometimes we are required to leave and pray that all will be will in our absence. Yesterday, I packed my van full of children, clothing, and bikes and headed north to help my sister with her tiny twin boys. As always, the preparation took longer than expected. As we were driving out of Genola, around 10:00 am, I noticed almost no water on the orchard road. I was impressed. My thoughts lingered for a moment on the fact that maybe, just maybe those trees could recover.

The water in the reservoir at the end of the road on Wednesday There water was shallow enough
to see the weeds growing up through it.

These pictures are from Wednesday morning - This is the water running down the south
side of highway 6.  This is 1/2 of the water that is causing the flooding.  The other 1/2 is running down beside
Johnsons house.



I came home last night for a brief meeting at the church.  As I drove around the corner, just at the reservoir, My chin almost hit the steering wheel.  The reservoir was full - close to overflowing.  The orchard road, leading to Davenports was flooded completely with water, and the flow of water in the canal was intense.   That is the only word I can think to use - an intense amount of water.  

The water flowing on the Johnsons property is the highest and fastest it has been to
this point

The water is completely covering the orchard road and moving very rapidly.

Overnight, the orchard has gone from flooding on row 4
to fully flooded from approximately 27 to 37.  It is no longer
one or two trees per row.  It is a lake IN the orchard.

I am not sure if the sandbags were removed (the canal is full to capacity and then some)
or if the force of the water pushed them over.

In a 36 hour period, the waterfall has quadrupled in size.

So many changes in only 36 hours.  From almost dry to water, water everywhere.  It is no wonder I am uncomfortable when away from home.  No wonder I am drawn, in my mind to wondering about the water.  There truly is a feeling of needing to be home, as the waters rage, erode, and increase.