9/8-9/11

We all stopped to remember, reflect and pray for those who lost loved ones ten years ago.  A somber day in so many ways.  I just now have time to talk about it.

Oh yes, we put the flag out and shared a very reflective memorial service at church... while wearing our work clothes.  We not only recalled the somber moments of 9/11/2001 but we also recalled the tense moments of 9/8/2011.  Our county got hit hard ... very hard ... by a rainstorm they later attributed to Tropical Storm Lee.

We all braced for Irene and only ended up with soggy soil and a few mishaps which I shared with you earlier.  No one said a word about "Lee."  Or, at least, there was not too much fuss.  Of course, those living near the Susquehanna River knew to place possessions on higher ground but these little creeks that meander in and around our little town?  Who knew?

Driving home from a meeting several miles away, we did fine ... until we were about a mile from our home.
 That road was blocked.
 So, we went another direction.
 That road was blocked.
 The only way to get home was to drive about three miles East and pray that the only other road into our town was open from the East.  It was!   But getting there was no easy task.

The one road that was not closed was treacherous.
 Water flooded in front of us from the corn fields at every turn.
 My husband has great eyes and could see the 'yellow line' below the swirling water.  I couldn't.
 He drove slowly and carefully in the thick darkness.
 Praise God for headlights!  Best invention ever.
Inching through the murky swirl of waves, we made it to a relatively dry road.  We turned north and prayed that the one road we could take, as we turned west, would get us home.

By God's grace, we crossed the low area where the creek was just about to overtake the road.  We made it!  One hour later and we would have had to turn around.  We returned to our home ... safe and sound ... sort of.

The rain tore into a side window that must have had a tiny opening.  The wet floor was easy to clean up and the 'sour stain' on our Matelasse drape was easily washed out.  The window installers may have been a bit frugal with the 'flashing' around the window.  So simple to prevent yet so easy to overlook.

Our basement was dry but neighbors were not so fortunate.  A sump pump was not big enough to suck up all the water flowing too fast.  An outside drain near a sliding glass door backed up and ... the basement filled quickly.  Over 300 homes in our little town filled up with smarmy water.  The newspaper showed a picture of a kitchen where water reached above the kitchen counters.
When the storm passed and the sun came out, the ducks were in heaven.  They swooped from their perches in the trees and landed in the middle of streets, on low cropland and in our little reservoir that rose about 20 feet.  It is suppose to be dry but has been filled with water for almost a month.

Our little town so far from the Susquehanna that any idea of flooding was beyond understanding.  However, we all realized that the soggy earth outside our doors could not take the 15+ inches of rain.
             And so we move on.
When I find a bit more free time I will tell you about a little church I was finally able to get to ... once the flooding subsided.  What a smelly mess in it's basement.  Yes, the insurance company will clean and fix.  But all the 'stuff' that no one guessed would be damaged... all because a window broke.  It was one of our 'sister' churches and is so beautiful.  More pictures later.

 This is not the window that broke but such a pretty church, made ready for a fresh coat of paint.  Oh my.