Will It Ever End?

Last Saturday, Hazel sunned herself out on the deck...last night she looked out in amazement with frozen paws...

Last week, there was water with wave action around the edges of the lake in our backyard....this was the view last night....

If you didn't get to check out the sky last evening, you missed an amazing sight. I just had to sit a spell and take it all in...the dark clouds, with the light puffy clouds like that of a summer thunderstorm all amidst a snowy ground.... IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.....

Afternoon Delight

Here's a sight you never see at this house. Not only does my hubby have ADD, as luck would have it, it appears the dog I chose does as well since neither of them can sit still for more than 3 minutes at a time.... so this was a shock when I came down from the sewing room. They finally made him park his truck at 2 PM yesterday and this is how he spent the afternoon. Look at that Miss Hazel....you'd think that even she had thrown some sandbags the way she was snoring away.

He outlasted her though.. .and soon it was time to let him know she was ready for play.

Our Tired Flood Fighter

Home at 7 last evening for a quick shower, glass of beer, some sleep, and checking out the news on TV. When walking in the door he asked me "And you said I needed to move you back HERE?" After his first experience of 2 North Dakota blizzards, minus 30 temperatures, and now a history-making record flood, I guess I can understand his comments. When asked what it's like out there he gives me 3 words over and over again. Eeery, overwhelming and emotional. Says it's very hard to drive away from some of these homes right on the river, leaving those people behind and not being able to get out of the truck and help.

He's back in the truck for the 6th day in a row today. With no sandpiles left in the immediate area, Aggregate's making them drive all the way to the pit in Rollag just to pick-up one load of sand. Quite the haul with precious cargo.

Says he wants prime rib tonite....at the Wild Rice Bar of all places... :-) Wonder if it's open.

River Pics

Closing the I-94 blocks from my house.

A dike being built around a business 3 blocks from my home


Water by the Center Ave Bridge in Mhd.


Water up to Herbergers Store at Mhd Center Mall - the entire bottom level of this 3 level parking ramp is under water.


Sandbagging operation at Mhd Tech School where Richie has been dumping loads of sand he's had to haul in all the way from Hawley, MN


The dike built off 8th Street Ramp in Mhd by David's house


Dike off I-94 by 8th Street Ramp on South side of Davids House


David's neighbor's house with sandbag dike all around


David's green house where you can see sandbags and water 1/2 way up the side and water all around.... Sorry had to take from my car while driving on the Freeway! This is as close as a non-emergency person can get to his house


River behind David's house off of I-94 almost up to bottom of bridge.

The View from here.....

This is what I saw when closing the Clinic this morning at 25th Street and 35th Avenue...right across the street from Assembly of God Church where the Shuttles pick up the volunteers....

The police closing down 25th Street south of us....


I-94 totally clogged near our home.... I couldn't leave even if I needed to... Richie's been in the truck constantly since Monday delivering sand directly to the flood sites....

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Things to Make Me Smile....

After a stressful week of a very sick doggie, and various other struggles too numerous to mention, I'm beat....with Richie obsessed with working every possible minute he can, and me being left alone to deal with everything, I decided for some excitement I'd head out to Walmart.....for the sole purpose of buying toilet paper for $1.26, about all I had in my pocketbook. Being in the pit of the valley as I felt, I parked and started dragging my feeling sorry for myself body down the parking lot.... in front of me I noticed an older man and I guess I gave him notice because he was dressed just as my father used to and it made me smile. He was walking with a young man (I assume was his grandson) who was probably about an 11th grader as he was the one who had driven the car to the spot next to me. He had on a Lake Park Audubon Raiders letterman's jacket and baseball cap and seemed excited to be going to "Walmart". Again I smiled thinking, wow guess this trip excites some people who'd drive all the way from LPA. What happened next though made me laugh outloud....the Grandpa stopped right in the middle of the busy road right in front of the store, turned around with this concerned look on his face and looked up in the air saying "well what the hell is the name of the lane we parked in, I don't see any signs so we know where our car is when we get done in there!" I don't know why I needed that laugh in my day, but I did... I mean it was just the Moorhead Walmart parking lot for crying out loud.... and he was concerned he couldn't find his car in the 20 minutes he'd probably last inside? From that point on my mood lightened enough that I decided I needed to make a stop at the Moorhead Dairy Queen... not something I ever usually do, but I've heard all week from both my daughter and my boss that they've been there for treats since it was officially open last Sunday and it's a Moorhead tradition that everyone go there on the 1st of March! I got my kiddie krunch cone and headed back to the car noticing something else that made me smile in my doldrums... this guy comes walking towards me from way across the parking with the hugest smile I've seen lasting his entire walk....I hop in the car and continue to watch him walk up to the building and touch the signs on the side and almost bow down on his knees to the place... I've never seen anyone so happy to be standing outside in line in 28 degree weather to get an ice cream and I guess his joy just brought a smile to my face. All in all, an afternoon experience in remembering it is the little things in life that bring joy and a simple trip to the Walmarts and the Dairy Queens of this world can help you realize that.