What do we do with a half-day off?

Duh....

See the lines on either bank?  That's grass from the flood's peak...

 

See the log about center picture?  That is what we used to step on to cross the feeder.  Used to sit where we're standing.

Green hole has greened up nicely.

Duck pond's pretty full too.

Ahhh... cool here.

Mother Goose day care.

Awww.... dead dog.

It wasn't real hot, but it was real bright... and when you have black fur, that's hot!

Way off in the distance, I saw something move...

...and then she saw us.

A quick splash in the river and "dead dog" is good as new!

Memories...

I had a Facebook conversation with a niece of mine last night.  When we were growing up, my brother and family were over at our house every Friday night and a lot of Sundays.  We had quite a collection of young'uns back then- I was the baby of my family by ten years, and so by the time I was, say, 10, I had 4 nieces and 2 nephews approximately my age, and another three nephews were either toddlers or on the way.  The closest in age were my oldest brother's two Daughters- one five months younger, the one I was talking to last night a year and a half.

Our chat was a brief memory lane of some of the things we remembered from back then.  And I thought that rather than digest the IRS scandal or the latest in gun control debates, I might share some of that memory with you. 

Often we started out rampaging around the yard on the three tricycles we had.  The tallest one was a garage sale clunker that Dad shot a coat of pale green primer on; the smallest had a banana seat, and thus was the favorite of even the longest legged of us.  Summer was a lot of fun;  catching lightning bugs, collecting the seed pads of some field weed we always called "butterbutts", rhubarb-leaf wars.  I remember a night spent on the swingset debating whether "heck" or "hell" was worse.  Rubbing down the slide with wax paper.  The porch swing, where we sat and consumed "clam chowder", a concoction of oreos, potato chips, Ritz crackers, and balls of wadded up bread.

Then inside for the weekly ritual of ice cream.  As we slowly stirred the ice cream into a frosty, we told stories of the six-inch-tall "Little Miss Muffet", who had a penchant for falling into sewers, toilets, etc., and being eaten by various animals only to be pooped out every week.

One week I remember the older niece bring the wild story of the Heptehedia, a supposedly prehistoric animal that had as many different forms as the imagination would allow.  We spent a night and a notebook drawing different kinds of this beast.  The only one I remember clearly was the one I concocted that had ram's horns and would swing by them from a branch in order to break open bee hives with its feet. 

Music was also a big thing.  I remember younger coming over one time with a notebook that had the Earth, Wind, and Fire lyric "Shine a star" written in every possible space.  Older was an Aerosmith fan.  One time on the way back from a trip to Florida, we each got a quarter to play one song on the camp's jukebox.  Older played Last Child, Younger of course played Shining Star, and budding ELO-head that I was played Strange Magic.

And watching TV!  The next best night to Christmas was the night each network did the preview show for the upcoming season's Saturday cartoon lineup.  Star Trek.  Tarzan.  Brady Bunch.  Partridge Family.  Room 222.  I remember one night during an ice storm that the power went off during the intro to The Real McCoys.  They were just at the last character, the littlest girl, when she faded away.  Here Come The Brides, because you couldn't miss Bobby Sherman...

Once Mom died when we were 13-14, the Friday nights and most of the Sundays disappeared.  Nobody got along quite so well with Dad and his drinking as with Mom.  And the family grew apart.  Drifted away.

My niece told me last night she was teaching college classes, "If you can believe that".  I told her I could believe, without hesitation.  I told her she probably figured I was still running around with a dishtowel "cape" pinned around my neck, yelling "Batmaaaaaaaan..."



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Here's some pics from last week I haven't thrown out there yet due to the great flood.

A few of these about hit us in the head.  Either there was a nearby tree blooming above canopy level or Mrs. Squirrel didn't buy the mr.s "Sorry I'm late..." excuse.

This ground hog stood there till Scrappy was maybe fifteen feet away.  You think that idiot could figure out where he went?

Notice the leash line and guess for yourself.

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And to wrap up tonight, Aussie Hockey!  Adelaide split her two with the Sydney Bears:  Saturday a 6-3 win featuring Wehebe Darge scoring four times; Sunday, it was the Bears 4-2 despite a 41-22 Ads advantage in shots.  Jon Koubek for Sydney had a pair of 1st period assists and a pair of 3rd period goals. 

Also splitting a pair were Perth and the Melbourne Mustangs.  Saturday, Perth was down 6-1 early in the second when Perth rallied; but despite outshooting the 'Stangs 24-5 in the third, Melbourne hung on-barely- for a 6-5 win.  Sunday, the Thunder had no mercy, hammering the 'Stangs 7-0 after 2 en route to a 9-3 win.  Joe Tolles, Matt Strueby, and Michael Foley each scored twice.

Newcastle had just the one game Saturday, beating the Melbourne Ice in OT.  the Ice took an early 3-0 lead, but then gave up 3 third period scores on just 9 shots, as they scored three times in a 5 1/2 minute span of the late second and early third periods.

The Ice Dogs finished Saturday action with a 5-3 win over Canberra which wasn't really that close.  Billy Cliff had a first period hat trick for the Dogs, and outshot Canberra 27-9 in the third.  The second period was a recurring brawl, and when the dust settled, 4 ten-minute misconducts and one game misconduct had been whistled.  The next day, league leading scorer Matt Puntereri (14g, 27 points), scored once in the first and two more in the third to send the Dogs and Ice into OT, with Jeff Baclig netting two for Melbourne.  But the Dogs win the shootout 2-1 for a 4-3 win, and a two-win weekend, while the Ice shake off an unusual two-loss weekend.

As a result, the Ice Dogs of Sydney now have a 23-21 lead over Newcastle in the standings, whilst the defending champ Ice fall to third, 6 points back.  the Bears trail by 8, the 'Stangs by 9, Perth by 11, the Ads by 14, and Canberra by 17.

Sunday message

You may have noticed- or not- that we skipped a message last week.  One reason was I still felt like crap over the tooth pull.  But God led me to a conviction that that was okay;  He had two interconnected messages to tell, of which I had only half, and that He wanted it there this week so somebody out there who needs to see it wouldn't miss it due to the holiday.

I call it, When God Says No.

Our fellow travelers, the Tares Satan has planted, would say that we view God as a magic djin, and prayer is nothing more than rubbing the magic lamp.  And when we don't get our wish, it's proof that no one was listening.  But God always has a purpose for what He does- and what He doesn't do.  I have here 12 reasons God might answer your prayers with NO- 6 positive and six negative.  If a prayer isn't answered, look down this list and you might find out why.  First, let's get the nasty negatives out of the way.

Ecclesiasties 2:10-11:  There's no profit in what you want.  This passage Solomon tells us how nothing in the world had been denied to him- he had anything he could possibly want.  That turned his heart to the constant seeking of pleasure.  "I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure", he says.  But in the end, it was just as vain as anything else he had looked at- "... there was no profit under the sun."  You have to remember God answers prayers on a "big picture" basis- is it going to help you (or someone else) in their walk with Him.  Sometimes, you just don't need it.

2 Chronicles 11:1-4:  What is the motive?  In this passage, Rehoboam had been rejected by most of Israel, and the nation was split into two.  Rehoboam was pissed, as any legitimate king would be, and called Judah to war.  But God said, "You shall not go up and fight against your brethren!  Let every man return to his house, for this thing is FROM ME."  One of the facets of successful prayer is seeking God's will in it.  Rehoboam's motive was anger... what's yours?

Ezekiel 20: 29-32:  But I want to be like everyone else.  Here, God is chastising Israel.    "So shall I be inquired of by you, o House of Israel?  As I live, says the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.  What you have in your mind will never be, when you say, 'we will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone."  God will never give on the basis of your keeping up with the Joneses.

Matthew 6:8-9:  Here Jesus calls the Pharisees hypocrites ( and not for the last time).  This time, it was because they only prayed in front of others, to make a big show of their "piety".  Jesus said that the acclamation of the masses was all they would receive for their prayers.  "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and the Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  Jesus went to a remote place each morning; I pray in the bathroom in the morning (TMI?).  It's not a bad thing to have a chance to pray aloud in church, or to go before the altar with requests.  But is it the only place you pray?

1 Samuel, anywhere involving Saul:  The people clamored for a king, not willing that God Himself, an invisible presence in their lives should lead them.  Samuel told them, this is a wicked thing you ask, and tried to stop them.  But God said, give them what they want.  Soon enough, they'll wonder why they wanted it.  Sometimes we pray for something we think is vital; but God can see the consequences of getting what we ask for and many times we can't.  Like the song says, sometimes we need to thank God for unanswered prayers.

Isaiah 26:10-11.  The theme here is God showing grace to the wicked, yet the wicked do not see; but eventually, all people will see the hand of God- and some will be ashamed.  Perhaps the problem lies in your salvation- or lack of it.


And now, the positive side:

John 7: 1-24:  Here, Jesus' brothers tease Him about going up for the Passover feast.  "If you do these things, show yourself to the world."  Jesus tells them to go on ahead, He'll catch up later.  You see, if He had come openly, what happened on Palm Sunday would have came a season early.  By showing up in secret about halfway through, not only did He accomplish the Father's task, but did it without the fanfare being reserved for His final week.  Sometimes God says no because, no matter how good the thing might seem, there's something even better just ahead.

Luke 24: 13-32.  This is the stories of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.  Having met up with a Jesus who they didn't recognize, they confessed their anxieties to Him and then He taught them not to fear- showing them through every verse of scripture how they came to where they were.  And only when they understood did He reveal Himself to them.  Had they not waited for this revelation, they would have never been calm and centered enough to understand what was being said.  By the waiting, they learned.

Joshua 5:11-12:  The day the Israelites ate the first produce of Canaan, the manna from heaven ceased.  In this we learn that to a certain extent, "God helps those who help themselves" is true.  Sometimes we sit back and wait for God to do something we need to do ourselves.  A blonde prayed three times, "Lord, let me win the lottery".  Three times, she got nothing.  In frustration, she prayed," Lord, why won't you let me win the lottery?"  And God replied, " Help me out- BUY A TICKET."

1 Samuel 13:  Yes, Saul again.  Samuel told Saul to wait seven days for him to come and perform sacrifices before he attacked the Philistines.  The seven days went by, but still no Samuel; the people began to walk away.  Now, Saul shows us what NOT to do- he panicked, performed the ceremony himself (which he was not qualified to do), and lost battle, and eventually kingdom and life, as a result.  Where if he had just trusted in God, he would have realized what God had done over and over again, starting with Gideon- win the battle through His own hand and a handful of men.  By waiting, you learn to trust.

Luke 11:5-10:  The parable of the persistent friend, who needs something in the middle of the night.  Even though you've gone to bed, you'll answer if he keeps on knocking.  Which then Jesus tells us to do.  Keep knocking, keep praying.  Sometimes God wants you to learn persistence.

And finally, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10- the "thorn in the flesh" episode.  God's no answer to Paul was accompanied with, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My Strength is made perfect in your weakness."  That doesn't mean God's stronger when we're weak; it means that we perfect His power within us when we allow Him to move us through our infirmity.

So, there you have it.  If you aren't getting your prayers answered, somewhere in these twelve items:

-the value of your request
-the motive of your request
-the goal of your request
-the manner of your request
-the consequence of your request
-the condition of your salvation
-whether God wants better for you
-whether you need to learn a lesson
-whether you need to take action first
-whether you need to trust
-whether you need to learn persistence
-whether God can move you more effectively in weakness

you will likely find a reason why not.

I knew it was raining hard but geez... pt. 2

First off, here's a little more background.  Laurie and I were at her sister's playing euchre when the deluge began (me 'n' sis rolled, natch), and we sat around about a half-hour waiting for a break in the monsoon before we left.  The break didn't last long; by the time we were about a mile from home, Washington Center at the Walgreens on Clinton was about a foot deep, and Laurie was vehemently suggesting to the half dozen drivers in front of us, "Don't stop."  Made it home okay, went to bed, turned on the weather radio.  One of the several times it woke me up there on, I looked outside (I believe this was during wave #3, around 3 AM) I saw a deer high-tailing it across the yard.  I thought they were smart enough to stay in the woods... but after we went through the woods, no longer so sure of my wisdom.

Near the ditch

Don't usually see the feeder that full.

Usually you can walk across here on dry land.

That tree is actually in the guy's yard.

As I figured, the footbridge got moved...

Ah! There it is!

It usually sits just on the far side of the high-tension tower... about 150 paces downstream.

Scrappy finds a victim- drowned baby skunk.

Tree down on path to Scrappy's Landing.  Scrappy:  WTH??

 

Where we usually cross- kind of a mess...

Oops! No game on this field today...

Tall grass laid flat by the current.

Now I finally see what the construction stuff at the south end of the Plex is for...
 

They're going to connect the trail south of California Road to the main trail by building a bridge across Stony Run!

Fungi, wet but still alive.

One of our alleged Purdue foresters finally moved that tree that fell in the creek.  It was too big to have been drug downstream...

...although the current was so strong, even the ducks stayed ashore.

Man down!  I mean, tree down!

Part of that big guy on an angle, he fell and hit the next tree.

Scrappy surveys water damage.  It rutted the trail a little, but didn't prepare us for what came next...
 

At the north end of the back trail, most of the road has washed into the adjoining culvert!

Deep enough Scrappy could have hid in it...

And above it, there was a no-fooling two inch deep stream across most of the trail, flowing through the woods and out into the field.

That's what took out the trail.

Another man down!

Anything that ever held water in that end of the woods is holding it now.

And again...

...and you still wanna be in the woods when this stuff is going down?

One more washout- about 4 inches wide...

...and big enough to lose a shoe in!

I knew it was raining hard, but geez...

I mentioned to Mynx that last night our area got like 4 inches of rain last night and early this morning.  Make that anywhere from 3.9 to 5.3 inches, according to trained spotters.  And it came close to affecting US.  How close?

You may have to click on this to get the full effect.  Our apartment is upper far left, the right side of the set-back building.  Far right center the pale line that angles down is the ditch that cuts across our apartments and flows into the feeder.  Directly above in far right upper you can see the cement pad the dumpster for those buildings at the ends of two carports.

Now that you have the layout, here's the scoop.  Check out  here and here to see what it looked like around 2 AM.  A lady was telling me they came about 1 and woke her up to move her car and self, and the water was up to her car door.  She said she was afraid it was in the car but it was not and she got out.  However, several other cars this morning wouldn't start.  She told me she came back and was up to her hips trying to alert others neighbors.  And that dumpster I mentioned?

There it is- looking at the map, if you follow the sidewalk to where it bends, that's where it ended up (after hitting several cars along the way, I'm told)- some 60 feet from where it started, and less than forty from going in the ditch and thence into the feeder. So the ditch flooded to the point it was deep enough to float a large dumpster from 60 feet away!

The ditch takes in all the water from the Papermill addition behind us, and they're up higher.  We are pretty high at our place too- everything flows away from us into the woods and back into the ditch.  But it drops where the ditch hits the feeder, and thus you have stalled cars and floating dumpsters.

The Zoo is flooded enough it knocked out their power and shut them down.  Lake between Reed and Maplecrest is WASHED OUT- which is something that, while it often gets flooded, I've never seen happen before.

Scrappy and I will check the more natural areas for damage once I post this.  If worthwhile, I'll post when we get back.