I wish it would rain some!

I have to say, I actually enjoy writing these posts. I know I can get somewhat long-winded at times, but I have fun putting some of these thoughts into print. If any of you get some enjoyment out of reading, that, to me, is just a bonus.

I know it is becoming somewhat of a cultural joke, that everyone, and sometimes even the dog write Blogs. Sometimes I think these attempts at "blogging" give me an idea what newspaper writers go through. You know, the ones who write the daily or weekly editorials, or personal interest columns. It might be fun, but I can sense how the pressure would build. I am not sure I could do that every day. Once a week, sure, but every day? On a deadline? "iffy"

As most of you reading know, Bakersfield CA, is not particularly wet. I think it actually illustrates my point when I say that some of my memories revolve around those few times when it wasn't. Like the time it rained so hard that College (street, road, BLVD, I forget) flooded right there by East High School, and a clogged storm drain meant that the last "dip" before the stoplight was flooded and cars were having to be floated across. we were on the way to Primary, as I recall. We must have stopped, because the thing that stands out most for me is nearly being pushed into the "pond" by an exuberent teenager jumping in to help push some cars over to the other side.

Then there was the storm that left Troy flooded when that car got washed under the train tracks. And everywhere else was flooded. I remember trudging along one street on our paper route. The water was streaming past about calf deep. Dad had allowed us (Cindy and me) to go over the cement at the intersection, but had instructed us to stay away from the sides of the road, since this road had no sidewalks. We were to throw the newspapers as far into the yards as possible, and if they floated away, leave them! Over the next 2 days, I remember how I felt seeing the huge trenches that had been cut where sidewalks would have been. One side was nearly 3 feet deep, and the other had cut away the edges of some of the yards!! People had used 4x4's and heavy plywood to span the cuts from their driveways, otherwise they were trapped.

I guess I hadn't seen "real" flooding, though, until we moved to Arkansas. The last 2 springs have been very wet. I keep reminding myself that by definition we live in a rain-forest. Last year, Feb-May was so wet that many levees broke, some areas had water running over dam spillways that had been dry for decades, and our river systems were flooded. I can't speak to "crest" measurements on most of the rivers, but let's just say that Batesville was on the other side of a "lake" where a cornfield existed. Water was up into the city park on the riverfront, which usually sits High and dry about 8-12 feet above normal river level. Other areas had houses washed away, the most striking image a picture of a 2 story house that had been swept off its foundation, and was pinned up against a bridge. Then the force of the water shredded the house and washed the debris under the bridge!!

Greer's Ferry Lake (my best indicator, because I go to the lake regularly in the summer) had crested at 28 feet above normal! Campgrounds and swimming areas were flooded into August, as the water took that long to recede. They could have allowed a bit faster drain off, but the communities built in the river bed downstream (don't get me started on That stupidity!), would have been washed out.

Well, this year has been about the same, with one significant change. We have had nearly the same amount of rain as last year, but the flood damage has been relatively low. We have had as much as 10 inches in some areas of the state, just for the month of May. Our area at Drasco has received about 7-8 inches this month. Lakes and rivers are high, but I have only heard of a couple of breaches, and minor flood damage stories. I hope the last year did not make me, or the community complacent.

We had some great stories of heroic saves, community and church groups coming together to help those displaced by floods, pet rescues, and an outpouring of support from church, civic and national groups.

We need to be reminded that we have to stick together and rely on each other, but mostly on our Heavenly Father. Not our government, but each other and God. To that end, I wish it would rain some!


PS There are other memories about Storms in Bakersfield, but those may be for another time.

Amazing bugs

Having one of those random types of conversations that take place when surrounded by teenagers, whether my own kids or my school kids, the topic turned one day this week to bugs. I am not necessarily a fan of bugs, but I don't usually freak out at the sight of bugs, which is good for Michelle and Elizabeth. They both go "buggy" when certain critters show up. Especially the eight-legged kind.

We have some amazing bugs in Arkansas. I could spend hours trying to name them all, but some of my "favorites" are the walking sticks (longest I've seen out here was nearly 18 inches long!) and the variety of moths. We have been seeing Luna moths lately, it is that time of year. They are the big, delicate green ones that can grow to the size of your hand. We have several other varieties that are equally impressive, but I don't know what they are called. I saw one yesterday that had the most beautiful black, red and yellow wings. Several shades of gray also made a beautiful eye-spot pattern, on wings that were EACH nearly the size of my hand!

Now I hear that Arkansas has also added giant Mexican "crab-ticks" to our list of amazing, Maybe even scary bugs. I won't go into what little I know of them. They showed up in a newspaper report about a year ago. And of course we have nearly every species of spider, fly roach, grasshopper, etc., that exist in North America. Arkansas is an equal opportunity residence for bugs.

This made me think, almost fondly, of some of my earlier, "freaky bugs" memories. Two that stand out from my childhood happened at Sierra Junior High. Family may remember them. The "scariest" one involved the biggest black widow I have ever seen. You remember the open building plan of Bakersfield schools, and the covered walks between class buildings ("hallways"). The drinking fountains at the end of the first wing of classrooms as you came off the ballfield is where I got the shock. I had bent down to get a drink, and movement over my head caught my eye. She looked to be about 1-11/2 inches across the body, (not including legs), just hanging there over the fountain, as if she were waiting for just the right moment to drop on some unsuspecting human victim. I would have tried to convince myself since then that I "enlarged" her in my memory, except for the reaction of the first adult we found. I don't remember if it was a teacher or a janitor, but I remember one adult saying to the next adult who showed up, "OMG, that is the biggest d..... widow I have ever seen! Where did she come from?!" My summer of the black widows at the fabric store, years later, made this memory even scarier when I learned how far these things can jump!

The other one happened on a warm spring day, and it involved those great big water roaches so common in Bakersfield. Those familiar with Sierra JHS may recall the Cafeteria building, and the way the "playground" sloped away from the building, with a couple of "ditches" off the corners, (out toward the bungalows). At the building end of this drainage was a small pipe opening. There was an old unused restroom on that corner, had been piled full of old gym equipment, and other useless junk. (I found this out later when one of our school clubs helped do a "service project" cleaning it out.)

One day, as lunch ended, just as kids started responding to the bell by moving toward the classroom buildings, something must have backed up in that restroom, or something. The small pipe that supposedly came off the roof drains, but apparently tied in to the restroom vent pipes somehow, came alive. A huge stream of water roaches came rushing out of that pipe, following the ditch out to the fence, which separated us from a huge field. This cut off the screaming students :) from the classroom buildings. There were thousands and thousands of them. It seemed like they streamed out for several minutes. Girls were screaming and running for the other side of the cafeteria, some of us crazy boys took to dancing our way back and forth across the mass, seeing how many we could stomp, until two boys (thankfully not me) had the misfortune of having some of these roaches run up their pant legs:) :). The rest of us decided we would pass on that fun, although we nearly passed out laughing at the other two.

I am not a huge fan of bugs, but they are amazing, and it is sometimes amazingly fun to watch the way different people react to them.