Down Mulberry Lane

CRAZY WEATHER!

We've been having crazy weather here lately.  Tonight was no exception.  Since Sunday, we've gotten near 10-12 inches of rain.  Lots of local flooding and saturated grounds.  Our yard is full of water.  Today after no rain yesterday and partially today, I was able to walk in the garden without getting stuck.  I still sunk, but I wasn't stuck. 

I planted the last of my tomato and pepper starts today and took the milk jugs off the early ones I had already transplanted into the garden.  I wanted to get it done before we left and the coming rain was not to be too much... maybe another inch or so, but not like before. 

Well, that is changing again!  Tonight a storm popped up out of no where... Hail starts falling, golf ball sized hail!  Not all my starts were covered and my husband sighs and says I'm sure we lost the entire garden.  The yard was covered in hail... I went out to check the garden and I would say I lost about 25% of the plants that weren't covered (of my tomatoes and peppers).  I saw broken leaves on other plants.  My pumpkins and squash plants have holes in the leaves, looks like we were invaded by a herd of rabbits (they aren't a herd, but I cannot think of the term!).  Some of the corn was hit, some of the peas, beans and onions, too.  So we will see what all that damage will do to the garden.  My strawberries still look ok, the apple trees still look ok... I think it was a blessing the fruits are just starting to grow and not bigger! 

I have a rhubarb patch that got hit pretty hard.  the leaves all have holes in them.  CRAZY! 

Anyways, even a half hour later there were still nickel and quarter sized pieces in the yard of the hail... and the coming rain... is now expected to be torrential rain!  Not just an inch, but 3 to 5 inches.   We were to leave for vacation, but Dh works in emergency services and isn't sure it is wise for him to leave.  He likely will take us up, but then return home as the calls will come if we get that much rain... the town to the south of us experienced severe flooding which knocked out their water treatment plant and the entire city of 35,000 people have NO WATER.  The national guard are bringing in water everyday and all the stores have recently gotten shipment.  The first day after the flood, there were fights in stores over drinking water and sump pumps.  People would leave with carts full of water... like gallons and gallons of water and they ran out and others were left with NO water!  Sad, really sad... I see why they called in the national guard to distribute the water.  Dh spent the day of the heavy rain and the next at the station and spent many hours doing boat rescue in the rain.  He was bushed when he got home after working so many hours straight and he wasn't home 2 hours and they were calling him back in.  He took a nap regardless of the call, then went back once he felt adequately rested. 

Anyways, this next rain will really challenge already flooded rivers, streams, and roads and houses... The last week of May our church set up help for Parkersburg Iowa, setting up a warehouse to distribute supplies to those hit by the tornado.  Now our town is hit by a state declared disaster and Dh said this morning Federal Disaster was pending a walk through of the area. 

Just crazy weather.  I praise God for watching over our home and our animals and our garden.  I might not have it all, but it appears that I still have some.  Our animals, sheep and horses endured the hail without a fatality.  I was surprised... big hail and they were all caught outside... and it hailed for a good 15 minutes straight.  I'm not sure how that will affect all the crops that were planted... corn and soybeans were already sprouting in the nearby fields, but it was really pelted at a young stage... just crazy to watch that much ice fall from the sky for so long.  We don't farm large fields, just on 14 acres do we raise sheep and we have about a half acre garden.  

Well, I need to get my laundry done.  I will post pictures eventually.  But we were planning to leave for vacation, so I am not sure if I will do it before or after our trip. 

Warmly, ~Melissa

sorry!!!

10:23 PM, June 10, 2008 .. Posted by safords

Sorry about the hail! Wow! It's amazing to be seeing all that is happening all around us....BUt we KNOW why! I hope you all manage to get to campmeeting anyways.

You have been tagged !!!

5:28 PM, June 11, 2008 .. Posted by Shaune

Go to my blog and see the details if ya want to play ,Sorry to hear about that crazy weather you have had . Its just been plan ol' hot down here ,Shaune

weather...and depression

6:22 AM, June 12, 2008 .. Posted by fritzeng

After looking at the radar this morning and seeing the perpetual line of rain across the northeastern part of Iowa, I remembered today that you guys live in roughly that area, so came to check your blog to see how you're doing. Glad things are okay -- as of your last posting -- we'll continue to pray for you and the entire area.
Also read your previous post re: depression. I went thru very similar this spring. Started with miscarriage in January, led to anemia, and then was told by doctor probably depression. I refused to get on depression medication; told the doctor I'd rather try exercising first. But a day or two later I was feeling so awful, I went online looking up thyroid, diabetes, etc. That's when it hit me that I'd felt similarly a couple years before -- and had been online looking at the same diseases! -- just before I started seriously dieting and exercising. So I went back to calorie-counting, started getting more exercise (although most of it now is gardening, no time for anything else!), and also started doing natural progesterone after hearing it mentioned by Teri Maxwell at our hs conference. Had also gotten in the habit of a midday rest & prayer time (because of the anemia). All of that together seems to have helped. Hope some or any of this can help you, and again, I'll be praying for you with the weather.

Thinking of you

8:44 AM, June 18, 2008 .. Posted by Ruth@Heart of God

Melissa,
I am just thinking about you and your family in this crazy weather. Everytime I hear something about the terrible weather and flooding in Iowa I think of you. I hope you are all well and that you are not in the areas that have been so hard hit.
I hope to hear from you soon to know that you are ok. It is so sad to hear about all the people who have lost their homes.
Ruth
www.homeschoolblogger.com/Ruth

Untitled Comment

3:31 PM, June 22, 2008 .. Posted by darbyfamily

Praying for you all as the rains come down and the floods go up! We've had a lot here in South Kansas too, but not near what ya'll have faced.

Hugs,
Jennifer

HEY!!! ARE YOU OKAY?

12:06 PM, June 25, 2008 .. Posted by safords

Melissa,

Did you survive the flooding and all? Been worried about you and your family. I pray all is well and that you enjoyed campmeeting.