The Flood!

Today has been great and I want to catch you up with what has been going on out here.  Last Friday, after we ate lunch with volunteers, at Koyote Grill, it started to rain. Then came the thunder and the lightning, heavier rain, small hail and strong winds. And yes, I unplugged everything.

Within two hours time, the creeks had risen out of their banks and we were smack dab, in the middle of a much needed flood. We couldn't believe it and we were grateful. From our windows, inside The Cabin, we watched branches, giant logs, trees, etc. floating swiftly down, Big Foot Wallace Creek.

When the heaviest rainfall had passed over us, we went outside and stood on the porch. The creek was roaring so loudly that Tony could not hear me talk or at least that is what he told me when I had asked him to please help me do something. Anyway, the bottom line is—Kinky, Tony and I were land-locked and so were our neighbors. But the good news was the creeks were full and overflowing!

I took this picture from our front porch showing just how high the creek was, because under normal conditions we can never see the creek, from the front porch. It's the winding brown patches behind the trees.

By Saturday morning the creeks had gone down enough that we were no longer land-locked. And the reason that I did not blog about it was because I was out of town, at a special event, wearing  The Dress. 

Early Sunday morning, I was back on the highway, driving my way back to the ranch and I was not wearing The Dress. Instead, I was wearing my uniform—navy blue turtleneck, 501 Levi's, pink boots and my Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch cap. I felt good and could not wait to get back home.

When Trigger and I arrived, back at the ranch, Tony was already outside doing our morning chores, but he had some bad news to tell. The first thing that he said to me, "Please don't take a bath."

"What? Why?"

"The water pump is not working and we're nearly out of water. The flood must have taken the pump down the creek with all of the rest of the debris and...."

His news was not what I wanted to hear, because I so wanted to take a shower, wash a load of laundry and I knew that the pump replacement could be very costly.

After I had unpacked and kissed all of our dogs, inside The Cabin, I decided to make lemonade out of our missing water pump situation. Because I could not take a shower and get cleaned up—I decided to do some push—mowing outside, while Tony finished up the chores.

Four hours later, Tony asked me to please stop push— mowing, because he didn't want me to over do it. I felt fine, but I took his advice, because I had push-mowed seven dog pens, two alleyways, and our backyard.

In the late afternoon, I climbed onto the riding lawnmower and mowed down the grass in Baxter's and Honey's big pen, up by the gate. Then I called it quits and came inside. I was dirty and too tired to write or post anything, on my blog, so I watched reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond.

Early this morning our friend Bill, an excellent plumber, came out with his helper, to help Tony with our no-water situation and since they didn't need me to stand around giving them friendly advice or talk my head off, I cranked up the push—mower and cut the grass in our front yard. Then I mowed a big swatch of land starting from The Cabin all of the way to the feed barn. Then I cut off the mower, because Tony came to get me. "Nance, I've got good news. The flood didn't take our pump, down at the creek. It was still in tact and it was just stopped up with gravel, sand and debris and that's why it couldn't pump water up to the pump house."

I was thrilled with Tony's great news and Bill's bill. After writing our friend a check, I skipped up to The Cabin and took a nice, long, hot shower and dressed into a clean uniform. I washed a load of clothes while cooking us lunch and then we went to Kerrville to run several errands.

As I finish typing this tonight, the "Fall Trail Ride," Nancy J. Bailey's beautiful watercolor that she gave to me, is inline to be framed, by this coming Thursday. Our cupboards are once again restocked with food. And I am anxiously waiting for it to get dark outside, so I can watch my new, cool, Stella Solar Lantern, that I bought today, at Wild Birds Unlimited, light up, on our front porch.

And that's about it for tonight.

Y'all have a great evening!