Do we look...

like we've been working?

Do you notice who has the beer in her hand?? ~LOL~


Guess she deserved the beer - she really DID do some work.


Here's me and my Blainer!

This is a picture of Terry's home as you would be walking in the front door:


We accomplished a lot yesterday, but there is still tons to do. He's really gotten a good jump by getting the sheet rock off, insulation out, and professional cleaners in to get rid of the river muck. He is talking about trying to take the sandbags down next weekend. Guess he'll have to find out what the Corps says in their meeting on Thursday night. The river is coming down from around his house and headed back to it's banks, but it's still a little scary to look at how much water there still is. They say that the river levels will be sustained for at least 3 weeks - assuming we don't get any more precipitation.

We are all choosing to stay on the positive side. We had our moments of despair, now it's all about getting down to business and getting things done so we can get Terry and Marna back in their home as soon as possible. What did I say in earlier posts? You can bend us, but you can't break us! :-)

Kleenex Please....

I hate being sick...absolutely HATE it! My get all nasaly, my eyes look like I'm squinting all the time, and my voice sounds like a bullfrog in heat. (Ok, I really don't know what that sounds like, but I bet it isn't the prettiest sound in the world.)

I started coming down with this stuff on Thursday night. I had to apologize to my soccer athletes as my voice kept cutting out during class, which wasn't what I wanted to happen for my last class with them. They were super nice though and understood. I hated to say goodbye to them at the end of class. I thanked them all for the enjoyable journey they allowed me to take with them and wished them all a safe and relaxing summer. A great bunch of men and women!

Friday was a day of being in the right place at the right time. Although I didn't feel worth a hoot, I still went to work and taught my CPR class to co-workers. As it was my 1/2 day and the class went 4 hours, I got to cut out of there at noon. Rock on!

Here is where it gets a little freaky.

Co-inkydink #1 - I filled my tank with gas and figured that I would stop in at the new tanning salon and say "hi" and congratulations to Tara. When I walked in, she said "I'm so glad you stopped, I have a few questions to ask you." She proceeded to ask me if I would be willing to do some yoga at her salon as part of her "wellness promotion" to her patrons. Well, Duh! Of course! I'm always looking for a way to get my name out there and to promote the health benefits of yoga. We exchanged cards and will be working something out soon, I hope. I was put there for a reason, I guess...

Co-inkydink #2 - I had some bloodwork that needed to be drawn at the clinic. So, as I'm registering I hear "Sherry Bo-Berry." I turned around and saw a really good friend of mine. It turns out she wasn't feeling so well and had come in for some tests also. She's battled a major illness in the past (and won)and was quite distressed at the thought that it may be returning. I gave her a hug, wiped away her tears, and told her that it would be alright. Human nature is to fear the worst, but it generally turns out to be something simple. As she went in for her tests, I told her to call me when she was finished and I'd be there if she needed anything. The good Lord put me in her path for a reason - I was there to help comfort her fears. (PS: I was right, it was something that antibiotics could clear up).

Co-inkydink #3 - I needed some things from Wallyworld so drove up on the other side of town and low and behold who do I run in to? Yep! My main man, Blaine! Well, not only did I run in to him, I was promptly told that I could give him a ride home because (as he so delicately put it) "Mom said I had to find my own way home (she was at a funeral) and I don't want to pay $2.50 for the bus." The good Lord knew Blaine didn't have the $2.50 for the bus and put me in Blaine's path so that I could help him out. Cool, huh?

Those types of things have been happening more and more to me recently and I just have to smile.

Today was a fun filled day in town. I went to a charity luncheon with my sister, picked my mother-in-law up for some flood touring (hey! the big thing in town is to see the water almost to the top of the "glory hole"), then home. I'm gonna take some OTC medication and see if I can't kick this. I'm supposed to go help my brother again tomorrow. It is going to be a long day if I feel like this.

A good night...

Well, I went to the new gym last night and it went very well.  I did 30min on the treadmill (interval training) and another 20 minutes on the elliptical machine.  I was dying! (ha)  It felt good though.  I sweat more than the average bear however, so I was very conscious of that fact as I didn't have a towel with me.  (They don't provide them either).  So, I made sure that my gym bag was packed with one for next time.   I did some weights, but I am unsure of the proper use of the machines, so I guess I'll just have to wait for the scheduled appointment with my personal trainer Levi.   The regional manager walked by me at one point and said very loudly "you go girl...looks like you are getting a good workout."  That made me feel good.  I figure if I'm spending my time and money, why just go through the motions of working out.  I'm going to work out hard so that I know that I did something.  

 

I went home and cooked a really good hotdish (although in my husband's eyes, there is no such thing as a "good hotdish"!) ~L~  Oh well, too bad for him!  I happened to like it.  It was something different than meat, potatoes and a vegetable.   I felt bad for hubster though.  We were finishing up with supper and his brother calls - a calving case was in process at the main farm.  I could just see his shoulders slump - he was soooo tired and wanting to go to bed.  So, he dressed back in to work clothes and took off for the main farm.  I really do not know what time he came home as I fell asleep around 10:30pm and he wasn't home yet when I woke up around 1:00 am.  Spring sucks for him, especially this year since everything seems to be going wrong. 

 

I didn't want to tell him this morning that they are predicting a 70% chance of snow and rain this weekend.   NO ONE wants to hear that "S" word at the end of April.  We really do not need a ton or rain either - especially with the flood fight going on.    Terry's home is still hanging in there with the increased releases from the dams.   (We're keeping our fingers crossed for him!).

 

Tonight is yoga night and it's my last night of teaching to my college soccer teams.   I'm going to miss their energy and enthusiasm!  They keep me on my toes, that's for sure.  

 

Have a great day everyone! 

 

Namaste'

 

 

Things are looking up

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood folks!  The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and we are 1/2 way through the week.  Yeah!

 

Members of my family spent all day Sunday helping my brother Terry with some cleanup efforts at his home.  We moved some remaining items from 1st floor up to 2nd floor, swept the river muck out of 1st floor, removed sandbags from the inside of the garage and placed them outside the garage, removed the river muck (as much as we could) from the garage, righted a tipped gas tank (to stop leakage), tore down a sandbag dike at Kathy's home (right off Beaver Creek) put them on pallets and transported them to Adrian (to have on hand in case they are needed)  and had lots of beers while doing it. 

 

I made a scrumptious hot dish of sauerkraut, knephfla and hamburger to help fuel our cleanup efforts, Peggy made delicious scotcheroos, Marna made sandwiches, chips and pickles.  Did I mention we had many beers?  ~L~  

 

Terry was optimistic and it was good to hear him laugh a little as we were working.  Although we are a little nervous about what the dam releases (expected to be at 4000 cfs today) will do downstream (Adrian), Terry is cautiously optimistic that his home will not be affected.   We have a forecast of rain (and snow!) for this weekend.  Hopefully not measurable amounts of either - as that could just take this flood fight to a whole new level.  

 

I joined a new gym this week.  As much as I hated to leave the wellness center at the hospital, I feel this will be a good move for me.  I have been at the wellness center since 07/2001.  Everyone there has been good to me - almost like family. However I was finding more difficulty in getting there recently; my yoga teaching schedule and the hours that the wellness center was open weren't meshing well.  The hours that I found myself available to work out were not coinciding with the hours the wellness center was open.   I will try the new facility as it is open 24 hours a day.  There should NOT be an excuse for me now!    Of course, the tried and true adage of "customer service" will always win out.  If I find that I do not like the atmosphere, I will not hesitate to head back to the wellness center at the hospital.   The main thing is to get my butt back in to the workout mode and lose some of these added poundage I find myself carrying around.  Not healthy!

 

Well, that is my update on things for this day.  Will write more as I find time. 

 

Namaste'

 

It is getting interesting....

around here. Yesterday, VCity ordered all non-essential businesses to close and strongly urged people to leave town as the high Sheyenne River put unbelievable stress on it's sanitation system and it collapsed. Projected date for repairs? 30-days. So, my VCity cousins - call me and let me know where you end up staying so that I know you are alright.

They (Army Corps of Engineers) are frantically building a dike/levee system - hopefully to be completed by Sunday, just in time for the dams to reach their overflow capacity. They keep saying that even if it does go through the spillways/overflow, that it won't be a bad thing. I don't know how they can say that, as the water then becomes an "uncontrollable release."

Hubster called me and told me which road I could come home on, then proceeded to tell me that the north bridge over the Pipestem was under water. (The night before the water was on the deck of the bridge). Quite a fast rise, I'd say? I thought he was joking, until we drove other there and took pictures. (All you can see is the guardrails of the bridge).

This picture is of the water by the bridge north of our place 1/2 mile. The water is up to the bottom of the bridge deck and rising. It won't be long and this will be under water also. Fish are swimming upstream through here and in to the creek that runs through our pasture. We have northerns in our pasture! ~L~ Think I'll go get my pole and catch supper!


Remember the road that I took to work the other morning (the one I shouldn't have been on)? I won't be traveling it for the rest of the summer - not because it is under water, but because the Army Corps is taking out the road below the Dam(Trautman's Grove) to make room for the water coming out of Pipestem Dam (the spillway water runs through that valley).

Not good peoples, not good.

I think I'm going to take a cue from my cat Boris and hide!


There is good news about my brother's home. The water has receded about 2 feet from the house now and the water inside the home is gone. He is hesitant about starting any cleanup process until we know what is going to be released from the Resevoir and Pipesteam Dams. The National Guard has been there to help him reinforce some of his sandbagging, which I think is a good thing. Perhaps they can find where the breaches occured and take care of them.

It is a waiting game around here, everyone is nervouse and anxious over what will happen in the next 2-3 days. It won't be over then though - as I'm sure we'll be only breathing a sigh of relief come fall when it freezes. (But then we have to think about snow. Sheeesh!!!)

Screw it. I'm going to go cause chaos and destruction in my kitchen and cook something!

What more.....

Just as I was leaving the house this morning, hubster comes rushing in to the house and says, “you can get through the “slough”, but drive slow. The water line broke at the ranch house and flooded everything. Call Peggy and see if it is covered on our home-owners policy.”

Great! Just freakin Great! Like he doesn’t have enough to worry about with the cattle, now he’s got to try and get the water out of the house (and all that entails!) Does anyone have any valium?(Large quantities would be great!)

The water over the road made for less than desirable driving conditions this morning; I was saying more than a few prayers. I was trying to speak with Peggy about the insurance on the water damage and had to say “gotta go – need both hands” not once, but twice. I drove around & through “road closed” blocks in three different spots. (I don’t think I’ll be going home that way). I'm going to call and make reservations at Peggy's Bed & Breakfast!

My brother’s house is on the front page of the paper again. This is an aerial view of the water surround Terry’s home and the home of his best friend, Loren Rode.

My nerves are shot; I cannot even imagine what Terry and Loren are going through.

A glimmer...

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The River Won...

My brother's home became victim to the flood waters. Three weeks of sandbagging and praying just couldn't keep the flood waters at bay. Although the water did not go over the sandbags, there was seepage that resulted in 6-8 inches of water on his main level. Fortunately, during round 1 of the flood fight in March, we had moved all of his furniture, clothes, etc up to the 2nd floor. Appliances and cabinets, of course, remained on 1st. I'm sure will need to be replaced.

Here are some pictures of his house taken 04/14/09 in the a.m. Amazing and heartbreaking.



We were feeling fairly confident in our sandbagging efforts on Friday even though the river was rising at a rate of 1" per hour. Sunday & Monday however, things turned for the worse in a helluva hurry. I am told that Terry learned - from the Corps - that Adrian was hit with between 8,000 and 10,000cfs of water.

A friend of mine who works for the USDA clarified what this meant. 600cfs released from a dam is equivalent to 1 foot of water. As it moves downstream, the water spreads. Downstream, it would take 1,000cfs to equal 1 foot of water. So, given that information, Terry was hit with between 8 - 10 feet of water (overland flooding and creek runoffs)on Sunday, Monday and Monday night. Unfreakinbelievable!!!! He didn't stand a chance.

What is disturbing is that our area is being considered for 4000cfs (combined releases) from our two dams. This does NOT make for good things for Terry or the community of Adrian.

I feel helpless...I do not know what to say or do to help my brother at this point. He looks defeated, tired, and raw with emotion. But, I also know his spirit. You can bend us, be you can't break us!

Happy Easter

Greetings and Salutations everyone......I wish to you a Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a great, relaxing day filled with lots of food and family. I had a lazy day myself...didn't really kick it in to high gear at all since I was only cooking for T and my mother-in-law Ella (such a sweet lady). I had all the usual holiday fare - baked ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and pistachio pudding desert. (Yum, if I do say so myself).

Today is also my oldest brother's (Ron) birthday. He turns 65 today (if my math is correct!). I need to call him yet and wish him a Happy Birthday. My family doesn't do the birthday card thingy - we just all call each other on holidays and birthdays. That's cool - it's always good to hear their voice and catch up on what is going on in their lives.

Tomorrow is back to work (yuck). I'm beginning to not like my job as much as I used to...I cannot tell why though. Atmosphere? Attitudes? Both? Perhaps I'm just in a funk because of the weather, I don't know. I DO know that I need to snap out of it pretty soon though.... I'm not the kind of person who likes being in a "funk". Perhaps the reason is that I haven't been actively going to the gym for the last 8 weeks (weather related scheduling conflicts) and I stepped on the scale and noticed an extra five pounds! (really HATE it when that happens). I know I always feel better when I work out. Perhaps this week that will be my goal...screw waiting until the 1st of the month; I'll start back at the gym this week. Yep! That's the plan. (Crosses fingers and wonders where my gym bag is at). ~L~

Really no news to tell - just chilling out waiting on a load of laundry to finish, trying to find a new background for the blogs, and getting ready for the upcoming week.



Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~Winston Churchill

Owwwwwww!

Well, if you are following this blog at all, you know that my brother is in a fight against the water, and I'm doing all that I can to help him in that fight.

I helped lay sandbags in Adrian allllllllll day yesterday. I'm glad that I went to help shore up my brother's home, but I'm paying the price for it today. I ache in places I had forgotten! ~L~

We had perhaps 20 people helping to place sandbags - but as the day wore on, and we had to wait for sandbags, those numbers dwindled one by one. That's alright; I understand that it was Good Friday and the start to a long weekend for a lot of people. We were grateful for the help that we did get! We finished up around 7pm last night after raising the level of sandbags on the west, north, and east side of the house. We also layed fresh bags around his garage this time - something we didn't do the first time as we didn't have enough sandbags (which is why he got water in his garage). We did the ole 'chain gang' route and it went fairly smoothly. If someone got tired, they stepped out of the line or did a different task (pallet duty - taking sandbags off the pallet and starting it down the line). After the last bags were placed, celebration time - of sorts! Beer! ~L~

The river had risen 19" from 11pm Thursday to 8am Friday morning. Not good!

I spoke with my brother today and he said that it had risen throughout the night - although he didn't have an exact measurement (he was eyeballing the river rocks that were there yesterday, but were now gone this morning). Nothing to do now but sit and wait. And pray.

I took Blaine to work today. What a treat! He climbs in to my truck and says (with a smile) "Good morning my sunshine!" Now I ask you, how can you be in a bad mood after a statement like that? He warms my heart! He has tomorrow off and I hope that he gets to spend some time with his parents on Easter Sunday - although what type of a holiday dinner they'll have will be interesting, considering the flood fight. Like Terry said, "toaster ovens and pizza makers just get a little boring after a while!" ~L~

Later,

What's on deck...

Today is Good Friday and a holiday for me. I have tons of stuff to do today and I'm torn in which direction to go.

I'm having my coffee and trying to decide:
1) Do a "lick and a promise" on the house cleaning front
2) Screw the housework and head down to sandbag in Adrian
3) Cancel all of my appointments this afternoon so I can stay in Adrian
4) Go to Tahiti

Option 4 is out of the question, I know (rats!)

Looks like 1, 2, AND 3 are my safest bet!

Brother needs help and I'm gonna be there for him.

If'n you all have nothing better to do this weekend, head to Adrian to lay sandbags down. Expected crest is Monday - 2 ft higher than "d-day" in March

Oh, and Happy Easter everyone!

River on the Rise

I just received an email from my brother showing the rise in the river. Say a prayer for him that the predicted levels of water will not happen.

I anticipate sandbagging again this weekend!

The Climb

Once in a while, a song comes along and really catches my attention. Although I'm not much in to the teen music scene, the song (& it's video) "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus has my attention; specifically, the lyrics. It's about forging ahead during tough times - making "the climb" - and not knowing what you'll find on the other side. (Something we All know about). Enjoy the lyrics. The video is playing on CMT if you'd like to watch it. Let me know what you think.

I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming but
There's a voice inside my head sayin,
You'll never reach it,
Every step I'm taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep trying
Got to keep my head held high

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing,
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on, cause

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb (yeah)

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

Keep on moving
Keep climbing
Keep the faith baby
It's all about
It's all about
The climb

It says alot about Us

Someone posted this comment on an article about the Fargo flooding at the Boston Globe website

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/03/red_river_flooding.html

Just a personal observation...as I watched the news coverage of the massive flooding in the Midwest with the levee's about to break in Fargo, ND, what amazed me is not what we saw, but what we didn't see...

1. We don't see looting.
2. We don't see street violence.
3. We don't see people sitting on their rooftops waiting for the government to come and save them.
4. We don't see people waiting on the government to do anything.
5. We don't see Hollywood organizing benefits to raise money for people to rebuild.
6. We don't see people blaming President Obama. (Except for Don Marchant, post #30)
7. We don't see people ignoring evacuation orders.
8. We don't see people blaming a government conspiracy to blow up the levees as the reason some have not held.
9. We don't see the US Senators or the Governor of North Dakota crying on TV.
10. We don't see the Mayors of any of these cities complaining about the lack of state or federal response.
11. We don't see or hear reports of the police going around confiscating personal firearms so only the criminal will be armed.
12. We don't see gangs of people going around and randomly shooting at the rescue workers.
13. You don't see some leaders in this country blaming the bad behavior of the North Dakota flood victims on "society" (of course there is no wide spread reports of lawlessness to require excuses).

Posted by Bill Baxten March 27, 09 01:56