Snowing in Boulder

The kits were content to stay inside yesterday evening, so we all curled up with a good book - the first of a new series by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell.  The last weather forecast I had seen said that it would be cloudy this morning, with rain and/or snow developing after noon.  I closed the back window before turning out the light, and we all curled up at 10 last night.  When I got up this  morning, I opened the back door for the kits to dash out, and saw the patio had a wet edge, and that the very green grass (that was mowed yesterday) was covered with snow.  Oh my.  I showered and dressed and took the umbrella with me to the store - in the 4 minutes it took me to walk from my building to the store entrance, my umbrella was totally coated in thick, wet snow.  It took more effort than usual to remove the flakes before I entered the store - and everyone who had arrived at work recently was talking about how they drove in with white-out conditions.  Yuck.
  At least the apartment management turned the heat on this past Wednesday, but my heat never came on during the night, nor yet this morning.  Rosie's walk was cancelled due to the weather, and so, Kathy just called and said she'd have Jim deliver a suitcase for me to use for my trip, so I wouldn't have to carry it on the bus in this weather.  Right now, the precipitation is about half rain and half sleet - you can see clumps of ice on the grass at the edge of my patio.  At least I can do my laundry today - and won't have to sweat getting it done over the weekend.  (The Buffs have a home football game against #2 ranked Oregon tomorrow afternoon.)
  Lovey is curled up on the afghan, and Nedi is curled up on the top of the cat tree, looking outside.  I'm going to be cleaning, doing laundry, and reading today - and just staying warm.  This weather is supposed to disappear by morning, when we'll have warmer temperatures and (supposedly) no rain.  Today is the last day of flood-related trash curb-side pick up; and the weather is nasty for it.  I am still feeling extremely lucky that both my apartment and Kathy and Jim's house escaped flood waters.    -    At the moment, it looks like lots of warmth and sunshine for my trip to Oklahoma City next week.  (Yahoo!)

My back yard at 6:40 this morning....  Snow!

Fall Has Definitely Arrived; Last Flood Photos

The high temperature for today was 50...  the low for the morning is listed as a projected 37 degrees.  The low in Steamboat Springs is forecast for 23...   And we've had a half-inch of rain so far, which was not needed.  Here are a few eye-opening photos from the 100-year flood of two weeks ago:

A sewage geyser on Canon Avenue in Manitou Springs during the flood

The only road through Jamestown, Colorado

US 34, outside of Loveland, Colorado

An over-turned, flooded Subaru at 4th and Evans in Lyons, Colorado

God's Country Cowboy Church near Loveland, Colorado

More Rain; Flood Repair

Normally, I love rain and snow.  Colorado has a semi-arid climate and seems to always need rain.  But we don't need rain again today, after the 100-year flood that happened two weeks ago. It is, however, raining - a light rain, little heavier than a heavy mist, or a "nice soft day" in Scotland...  but enough to make the roads slick, and dampen the mud, and make outside activities seem unappealing.  The last weather forecast I heard said it would be cloudy this morning, but that the rain wouldn't arrive until late this afternoon; so I traveled over to Rosie's with my umbrella, but I returned home without walking her.  It was too wet and cold.  But I was able to deliver a large set of "flood photos" to Jim this morning - the majority of shots are of his yard, Four Mile Creek, and his immediate neighborhood.  He was able to see the Boulder Greenways display of flood maps yesterday, and was greatly surprised at what the water did, and did not, do.  Reconstruction work is going apace on Topaz Drive - I think the exposed natural gas pipeline that was 5 to 6 feet below the road surface (originally) had a lot to do with the Topaz work getting such a big jump-start.
  With the nasty weather, Nedi is curled up on the afghan on my bed, and Lovey is in my dirty clothes basket.  I have my rear window about half open, and can see the rain slanting down in front of the wooden fence.  I did fall down again yesterday - tripped over the roots of a cottonwood in Kathy and Jim's backyard.  I have walked over and through those roots a million times without tripping - I guess Wednesday and Thursday were my Fall days....  When I fell, I again landed on my left knee, which puffed up enormously, as well as onto my chest, knocking all of my breath out.  Rosie and Boo wanted to implement mouth-to-mouth, but I insisted that I was OK, so they finally sat down and wagged their tails at me as I climbed s-l-o-w-l-y to my feet.  Then they were off, chasing rubber bones and bouncing balls...
  I'm getting excited about my trip to Oklahoma City... there is such a wide variety of things to do and see that I haven't been able to decide where I want to spend my extra time.  The Stockyards is a definite yes, but there are also so many other extremely diverse areas to explore.  I'll probably end up deciding on the spur of the moment, once I arrive.
 

First Day of Fall Equals More Rain After Flood

Today arrived sunny but cool - 47 degrees and a breath of breeze from the west.  But the clouds have begun to pile up in the west, and we're expecting more rain this afternoon and evening.  At least we didn't have the low that was forecast for one of the ski towns last night, which was 27!  I thoroughly enjoyed supper last night, as my friend Bea and I walked the 9 blocks to Turley's Kitchen, at the corner of Pearl Street and 28th Street (aka US 36).  Besides the the heavenly food, we had a good time observing other customers, and chatting with out server, a young lady from Alabama.  Then we strolled back home, stopping to pick up a few odds and ends at the grocery store.
  My kits wanted out immediately upon my arrival home, and I opened the patio door.  Then I visited the bathroom, and changed clothes.  By the time I approached the patio door, I could hear Lovey in full battle mode - howling, growling and hissing.  As I stepped onto the patio, the girl next door started yelling, "You!  You leave my cat alone!"  I immediately called Lovey and made both her and Nedi stay inside for the rest of the night.  When the girl next door adopted her cat, she told me that she'd never, ever let it run free in the back yard - apparently she started doing so while the kits and I were staying at Kathy and Jim's.  The problem is that after 7-plus years here, Lovey considers herself the queen of the complex.  She doesn't have upper teeth, but she has mighty claws, which move incredibly fast - and she feels the need to chasten anyone who strolls about without her permission.   I hope that Baby and Lovey, and the girl and I, can come to a less war-like understanding.
   I was able to cheer the Gators on yesterday, and am watching the Packers now.  Tomorrow night I'll watch the Broncos, but I also want to see the new TV show with James Spader - The Blacklist.   I have the feeling that James Spader will win in that contest.

"Mudslingers" Very Welcome in Colorado

I'm not sure what happened to yesterday's written post...  I wrote it, and posted it, and then started putting together the photos for yesterday.  During that time, both of my cats walked across the keyboard - and when I posted the photos, I found that the written post was missing...  Oh, well...  It was mainly about several wonderful groups of people who call themselves "Mudslingers."  Not mudslingers in the traditional sense of the word, but literally, mudslingers.
   Wednesday, after walking Rosie, I was helping the Echols' clean out their house, which had survived four feet of flood waters surging through it.  Thehouse and yard had been underwater for three and a half days, and Four Mile Creek had left mud, silt, and sand in the house, and mud and debris covered the entire yard. There were four of us to help - and we figured that it would take two to three days to carry every single item out of the house, shovel out the mud, and pull up the carpeting and padding.  The biggest problem was how slippery the deposited mud was...  One had to step very carefully and hope that the footing would hold under each foot.  We had been working diligently for 2 and 1/2 hours, when a group of 20 people showed up, seemingly out of nowhere - they stated they were clean-up volunteers and asked for directions.  Our plan was explained to them, and sub-groups were formed.  The entire house was cleared out in another 3 hours.
   It seems that hardy souls, people who were not affected by the flooding, are coming into the flood areas each day, organizing themselves, and going to any home that needs help with a clean-up.  Yesterday, as I was walking home form the bus stop, I observed planning stations set up in four parking lots - where work groups were dispersing in small buses and large vans to go out and help those who need it.  It was a wonderful sight to see - and, believe me, their help is greatly appreciated!  The group that helped Wednesday had folks from Mead, Parker, Lafayette, Longmont, Denver, and Strasburg in the mix.  I am extremely grateful to each and every volunteer who is assisting anyone with flood recovery here in Colorado.

Home Again

The kits and I returned home about 2 this afternoon; it's a little after 3 now, and it thundering and lightning outside.  We expect thunderstorms through the evening.  Lovey and Nedi have been playing in the back yard, but are now under my bed, as they really dislike thunder these days.  I am so very lucky - both my apartment and the Snow house did not have any flooding.  Monday evening, Mike and I looked in the crawlspace under the house, and saw about 5 inches of water pooled around the base of the furnace, but no other standing water.  Four Mile Creek, thanks to all the silt, sand, mud, and debris it was carrying, built up the east corner of the Snow yard by 3 1/2 to 4 feet.  The fence that kept the dogs in the back yard now protrudes only 3 inches above all the new sand and fill...  I told Jim I'd be happy to help put up new fence along that side of the yard, as Mona is due to start staying at the house tomorrow evening, when Mike and Erin leave for the belated honeymoon (to Ireland).  Boo started walking across the fence this morning, then Rosie did it.  It will not keep Mona, a Catahoula Leopard dog, inside it for the time it takes her to look at it...
   I am still feeling shaken by the shootings at the Washington Navy Yard ....
   And when I see the destruction caused by this flood, it takes my breath away.  At least I was able to help some people clean up, afterwards, as well as keeping the neighborhood apprised as to who needed help. The two Echols sisters, who live at the corner of 26th and Topaz, had four people helping them this morning, when a volunteer group of 40 individuals showed up, and helped them clean out their house in just a few hours.  It was a wonderful thing to witness.
  I will take photos of Topaz Drive tomorrow.  I walked from Kathy and Jim's house up to 26th for the first time today...  From 20 feet east of the Snow property line, all the way up to 26th Street (3 full blocks), there is a gash in the roadway; 6 inches to 15 feet wide, and 6 inches to 6 feet deep.  Gas pipe lines are exposed.
It's amazing to look at.