Perfect weather was back!

24.VIII.07 - MoM

I got off to a slow start today, as usual. Sandy breezed by and took care of the humming bird feeder, the tube feeder, the moldy suet cake, and the wet and also moldy feed on the flat tray. I'm getting ready to go out and put new seed on the now dry flat tray. She also got my new mum on a roller pallet on the front deck. It was an extremely busy day at the feeder today, but the big excitement was having the Woody Woodpecker on the trunk of the tree closest to the north side of the living room. He didn't stick around long enough for me to get my camera but I have some pretty good pictures from when they were eating at the seed feeder by the front of the house. Sandy's efforts inspired me to scrub out the bird bath on the front deck. The one in the patio is still clear and clean. The cardinals are serious bathers. I also got the rain gauge dumped. All little things that I did, but at least it gets me out of the chair.

I was quite surprised this morning when the weather man on the Today Show mentioned the weather situation in Fairfield this morning -- 8 inches and still coming down. I had to go on line at once to hear more. You may remember the little river about 6 miles south of Fairfield on the way to Birmingham. Them mentioned that it was over the road, but not yet closed. The river in Douds (the next town west on the road that ran in front of our house) was over its banks. I'll bet that the Des Moines in Keosauqua is, too. (See below)

I finally got in touch with Margaret Campbell about the quickie Iowa trip Charlie and Sandy have been thinking about. We are planning to include a visit to Birmingham and Elizabeth, as well as an overnight for me with Margaret in Washington, IA, near Iowa City. Since the 3 cousins born in 1917 had had some time together at Margaret's place during the year we were 80, she suggested seeing if Fred could get together with us during our 90th. Sandy and Charlie gave me an available long weekend date so I called her today. I will be spending one night at her place, then we may shift it to Van Buren, to make it easier for Fred (in Burlington) and include Elizabeth. With the demise of Rachel Meek and Mona, we are, with Aunt Dottie and Bill Dwyer, all that is left of 18 cousins.

I am on a track to be able to get to bed at a decent hour tonight, I hope. I made myself a mixed greens salad with little tomatoes from my own "garden" that Sandy picked for me, blue cheese, onion, cucumbers with oil, vinegar, and a little Ranch dressing. I also had some more of Sandy's good very thin sliced pork. Now, I am enjoying my drink and "salt" bombs.

With all the rain in SE Iowa it made me wonder about Keosauqua and the Manning Hotel with the flood marks on the side of it so I looked up the Des Moines River there and got this report:

The Flood Warning continues for
the Des Moines River at Keosauqua.
* Until Saturday evening ... or until the warning is cancelled.
* At 12:00 PM Friday the stage was 26.9 feet.
* Moderate flooding is occurring and moderate flooding is forecast.
* Recent activity... the river is cresting now in Keosauqua. The river
is not expected to rise higher than its current stage however.
* Flood stage is 22.0 feet.
* Forecast... the river will continue to fall to below flood stage by
tomorrow morning.
* Impact... at 25.0 feet... flooding occurs in Keosauqua... Selma...
Bonaparte and Farmington. Water affects streets near the Nursery on
the east end of Keosauqua.