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.

Ramblings of the Sick

After 4 days of pretty much being down in bed with the chills, fever, horrific headache, killer cough, sore throat, throbbing muscle aches, it's time to vent.... being a firm believer in the body's innate intelligence to heal itself, I'm not one to run to the Doctor. I was lucky enough to barely even have a winter cold over the last 4 yrs as well, which I believe was due a regular routine of chiropractic adjustments and a good pattern of all natural supplement products. Being one of thousands of uninsured Minnesotans over the last 4 years, (as I was told in order to qualify for MN Health Care I'd have to either get pregnant or quit my job) I really had not been to the doctor. However, due to a kind-hearted, wonderful, new employer I'm finally a lucky recipient of ND BC/BS... hence, probably a good idea to go to the doctor. Well folks, since I got the insurance late last fall, I've found out I have these things wrong with my health....I have mild cellular abnormalities in my uterus, thus causing the need for a colposcopy, I have enlarging masses deep in the right lower outer quadrants of my breast thus causing an ultrasound showing two benign appearing adjacent cysts which need followup care, I have sleep apnea and and am scheduled for the CPAP machine screening next month, my glucose is 5.9 with a 6.0 being classified as type II diabetes,and next week I get to go in and see just how clogged that carotid artery is...OK so I know that's TMI but supports my thoughts that life was alot less complicated and worrisome when I didn't have the insurance --- sigh. Anyway, after my 3 hour excursion to the old Dakota Hospital I came away with pretty much what I knew going in...they don't know what's wrong with me. And that's another thing that really bugs me...when I walk up to the counter to check in the girl sits there takes one look at me and goes "Ma'am, you have to wear this mask to be here".. what???? "Ma'am this stops the spread of the germs you must have"... to which I note SHE'S NOT WEARING A MASK.... so my thought process inside is ...."hey, if she's going to take this front desk job with hundreds of sick people walking up to her all day and she's afraid of the germs, isn't she in the wrong job? Or shouldn't she at least be wearing a mask?" So another nursey type lady comes running up and goes (after I make an attempt to wrap this mask on my mouth) "Ma'am you MUST wear the mask up OVER your nose cuz that's where the germs are in your nose!!!" To which I reply, "look I can barely breathe as it is and I'm a tad claustrophobic when I can't breathe so I'm not going to cover my nose with it" to which she comes out behind the counter and pulls it up on me.. as I note to myself, "hey lady you're getting kind of close to my nose and you aren't wearing a mask either". At the same time, my brain is reminding me of another pet peeve of mine...Community pens on a counter top...I don't like them, won't use them. I carry my own to fill out paper-work, especially in a sick clinic. And as I sit down I see I'm the ONLY one there with this stupid mask on....and I'm thinking if the germs come from the nose and someone walks in who has just picked their nose and then grabs one of those community pens to complete the paperwork and the nurse takes the paperwork and the pen back in her own hands isn't that a major spread of the germ?????? So, I'm not a happy camper at this point and thinking to just walk out and still rely on my body's innate intelligence to do it's job...even though after 4 days I still have a fever. But, I've paid the $25 co-pay and don't think the nasty desk lady will give me that back, so I stay and soon I'm ushered back by another "mask-less" lady... I get the preview...temperature, elevated blood pressure, red throat...they give me the works... complete chest x-ray, complete blood work, nasal burn test...and the final review..."Ma'am, your paperwork all looks OK, YOU just look and feel awful so everything we guessed you have, it appears you probably don't, but you know these tests can be wrong so we'll just write you up four cute little prescrips that may just be a huge waste of your money anyway".... everything from Vicadin to Prednesone to Zithrax... YUCK. The Doctor lady comes in with the final analysis "Well honey, I think you are just going to have to tough it out and it's going to be another very long week ahead for you"... All of this mind you from about 5 -6 different staff none of whom were wearing masks. So I tear off my mask, thank her and feeling exhausted head back home to my sick bed. I know what I need....a good adjustment everyday from Dr. Liz, a massage for my aching muscles, a long, hot Epsom salt with eucalyptus and lavendar steam bath, and Ryan to get up here with his acupuncture needles and treat his old mother. Bet he wouldn't make me wear a mask. At any rate, I think they should ban community pens at these sick clinics...haven't you seen people put those up their noses sometimes?

Speaking of that....

In a second marriage most times you have no idea how the person you've married parents. Since Richard never really had a chance to be a hands-on parent, it's been interesting to observe him "parent" Miss Hazel. To put it mildly, she has him eating right out of her paw...it's a cake-walk for her....that's why last night I signed her up for puppy kindergarten. Last fall I remember him telling me that Hazel only likes "bottled water" now... what??? As usual, my response was a half listening "yeah, whatever" as I continued to give her tap water. Then a few wks back on a mild Saturday, we were hurriedly cleaning the garage so both cars could go in before the sub-zero's hit and I ran back inside to see this... Hazel carrying a mini-bottle of water around and whimpering for some....he had bought them for her and stored them in the garage so they were "chilled". unbelievable... he still was giving her bottled water and she recognized the bottle...even more unbelievable, he now tells me she likes it with crushed ice in her little bowl.... and all's I get on a Saturday is a bagel in a plastic bag????

Morning Delish!

I'm one of the lucky ones who has a husband who will stop by her favorite bagel shop on a cold Saturday morning, pick up her favorite bagel and have it waiting for her with a good cup of vanilla nut coffee when she awakens. This is what I saw when I came down from my shower this morning! Evidently Miss Hazel thinks Daddy left it on the coffee table for her to enjoy..wonder what would have been left if I had not arrived when I did....Can such a little puppy down an entire very berry bagel complete with very berry cream cheese?