Looking Back at Easter 2011

Do you remember Resurrection Day last year? This is what we had to go through to get to church on Easter morning 2011 ...

And this is what we did that Sunday afternoon...

Look under FLOOD WATCH in the sidebar label section for more flood pics.

We didn't want a repeat of last year. But after a mild winter with barely any snow, we enjoyed our early spring.

But it was not to be because we awoke to this yesterday morning...

And then a flock of robins were in a frenzy to eat the last of the Purple Royalty Crabapples - almost as if they were stocking up...

And then the sun came out and the snow melted off the trees. The Juncos basked in the sun and we were left with a yard full of slush.

And this is what our driveway looked like this morning...

The snow is melted on the gravel and pavement portions and despite how it looks, there's only a light covering on the grassy sections.

At 8:15 am, I looked out my window and saw the neighbor's cows had come over to wish us a Happy Easter. So nice of them except for the 'gifts' they left in the driveway.

And I almost missed the male robins in the hedgerow because their red breasts matched some of last year's leaves. After the feeding frenzy yesterday, they certainly look well fed.

What a wonderful, ever-changing world our God created.

Happy Easter!

Video: Driving Through the Flood

It took a long time to upload, but here is the video I filmed of our Apr 24, Easter morning flood.

The first part shows how we got the car across. The van's low and the water's rising. We needed it on the other side in case we had an emergency in the ensuing days. 

The second part is where I film from inside the truck - twice. First going to church, then coming back. Let's just say it was easier to film than drive the truck. On Sunday afternoon the guys went out and marked the edges of the road so we could see where we were going. But that was after this video.

Sask Farm Flooded Out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbDJjSPI54g



For the beginning of our flood watch, see my post before this one, Operation Wading Boots.

Stayed tuned for more fun when we take the paddle boat out for a spin.

(And please forgive the lack of a smooth transition from normal to zoom on my little Lumix because I have to stop filming to zoom in and then start again. I lose 5 seconds every time I shut down and start again.)

Water Covers Our Road

After weeks of waiting through a roller coaster of temperatures, the weather has warmed enough to set off the final meltdown. Here's the sequence of events...

Thurs, Apr 21st at 8 am - The water is one foot lower than the road on the right of the photo. Note the level of water on the fence posts.

Good Friday, Apr 22 at 1 pm - The water is level with the road. A rural municipal councillor stopped at the farm about an hour earlier to say the flood was running over a road a mile away and would reach us soon.

A mere 3 hrs later, the water had crossed the road, aided by the powerful prairie wind and damage had already begun to the road's surface.



4 hrs later the wind dropped at the 8 pm sunset.  The air filled with bird sounds and rushing water.

7 am this morning, Sat, Apr 23rd, we heard the water rushing across the road as soon as we went outside. More water, more damage. Where the dirt had washed away, it left huge rocks - as much as 8" across - lying just beneath the surface.

7 pm tonight, we jumped into hubby's 4WD and went to check the water at 2 different culverts within a mile from home, but our road was the only one under water. We'd been red-flagged sometime during the day. With some places more than 6" deep, the drive down our road was scary. But JJ couldn't wait to get out of the truck and experience the water for himself.

As usual, the wind dropped which allowed for some spectacular photos. Normally if I took a pic from this spot, you wouldn't see a drop of water.

Tomorrow is Easter morning. Resurrection Day. Amen!

I wonder what the water will be like when we head out to church. Nelson thinks the van can make it across, but I have my misgivings since the van is low and the water high. I guess it depends on what happens overnight. We'll see...

HAPPY EASTER!

He is Risen!

And He loves me!

We're on Flood Watch

I took this photo as we left home yesterday around 11 am. It shows the water around our farm at a high level. Nine years ago when we first moved to the farm, the water rose up over the road. Hubby had to wear waders and walk through the 1-2' high water to get to his truck parked on the other side just so he could go to work.


We're praying it won't happen this year, but that water is high and there's still a lot of snow to melt. Plus, it rained yesterday. I'll keep you posted...

I enjoyed a wonderful Easter celebrating Christ's resurrection with the family in Regina. My sister-in-law, Teresa, always puts on a delicious meal with lots of side dishes. It's a special treat to celebrate a holiday at her house. In the photo, our daughter Jessie is taking a pic of her dad, his mom, and his sister, our hostess, Teresa.


After we ate, we played canasta - a card game. It was more fun than usual because we had extra players and when one player had to leave - like when Grandma started to fall asleep and left to go for a nap - my teen son sat in to play. This was the first time he's played canasta and it was a nice to spend the time with him in such a way. When the phone rang, another player left and someone else sat in to play. After awhile, our partners were all mixed up but it didn't really matter who won the game because it was the socializing that counted. While we played, Teresa served up snack food and dessert so we really had a treat.

Later on, we headed to the airport to welcome back Ashley, an Australian friend who had first come over as an exchange student years ago. It was a long 30 hr trip for her and it was nice to see her land safely.

So, other than a glorious celebration of life over death, my weekend consisted of family, friends and fear of flooding.

How was your weekend? Are you worried about anything at this time of year?

Happy Blessed Easter