Summer Shoes for the ladies in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota

Especially popular this year with the ladies in Iowa , Ne. North and South Dakota!  

When it rains it pours

   I think you all get the picture that we have been having lots of water here in Iowa.  On top of the dams releasing all that water and flooding the low lands we have been having some major storms.    And even on top of a hill we didn't survive all that water.


       Sunday we had a major rain storm.   3 and a half inches of rain in 10 minutes.  It was raining so hard you couldn't see outside.   We lost our electricity for 3 hours.   It was really bad.   During this time we heard a thump but thought it was probably another tree branch since we had wind gusts of up to 70 MPH.   Major storm.   When we woke up Monday Rick was really really sick with the flu.  I went outside to assess the damage and sure enough we lost some more branches.   I assumed that was the noise we had heard.   Later that day I went to the basement freezer to get some ice for Rick and a nightmare awaited me.   


      The egress window the city insisted I put in the basement had blown out in the storm.  The thing filled up with water and blew out.   Everything that was stored on the floor was ruined and the water level looked to have been about 8 inches.    I didn't look into the the other part of the basement and didn't tell Rick until the next day since he was so sick I didn't want him to mess with it.    Tuesday he went down to check it out and he did check the entire basement.   In the front of the house he found a large area of the basement wall had blown in and mud was covering everything.   We think a gofer had dug down around the foundation under my flower bed and with the rain it filled up and collapsed the wall.   So in the front of my house I now have a very large,  very deep hole.

 

Kind of looks like brownie mix doesn't it,

           You can see the water level on the wall in the last shot and all the mud in the 2 above.   Oh, and the wet smell,  my asthma was going crazy.   Plus we are going to have to worry about mold.

Thank goodness I keep most things I store down there in plastic tubs.   I do it because of spiders and it is a damp ole basement and that saved all my quilts and Christmas decorations.   About 500 dollars worth of books,  I read a lot, were ruined,  all of Ricks magazines,  some things my son's stored down there and some of Ricks projects.

    So here I sit with my broken arm and my 2 pound lifting limit,  a husband who is running a 101 fever and hasn't left his bed for more then a hour in 2 days and this huge mess.   I called my oldest son, the newlywed and started to cry.

  I always cry at the beginning of an emergency and then get down to business.  Once I get that out of the way I am a take charge type of person.   Both my son's left work early and my new lovely DIL came over and we started moving things out and throwing things away.  

     Since we are having major floods in 3 states I spent hours on the phone trying to find a dumpster,  a storage pod,  a contractor and getting in touch with my insurance man.   Everyone is booked for weeks.   I did finally get the dumpster,  the storage pod and a contractor who can start in a couple of weeks lined up to repair the damage.   He said we have to clear up the entire basement, duh, before he starts.   The insurance people said I am not covered for floods.   Is rain considered a flood?  I live on one of the highest hill in my town,  I am miles away from the river.  Now why would I have flood insurance.   I pay all this insurance and they never want to cover anything.

     Yesterday Rick was finally feeling better and we were both up in the wee hours cleaning and moving things.   Rick has a huge amount of tools and wood, screws, nails, wiring, saws, etc.... down there.  Neat and organized he is not.  Then the insurance company tells us were weren't suppose to toss anything until they had looked at all the damage!   What, we were suppose to leave all that wet mess down there to mold and smell to high heaven when they said it would be a few days before they could come assess it?  And it isn't like they are going to cover anything anyway.   I am definitely getting a different insurance company when I am done with this mess.

     So in the next few weeks I will be getting new gutters put on,  the basement fixed and new cement driveway and maybe patio.   All my stash I have been saving for years for my retirement is going to have to be used.  But thank goodness I live simply and have a stash I can count on.  As long as this is the last disaster for awhile.  I think we really need a break here.   And I really need to get back to work and start earning some money again.  I hope that stupid gofer is buried under that huge pile of mud.

The Newlyweds.

          My son is married to the beautiful and so sweet Jessica.   We are so happy as she is sweet, and calm, and so good for my son.

Another flood pic

  This is I29 which we take to go to Omaha which you can see in the distance.  Obviously we won't be going there for awhile.  This was mostly farm land and some wet lands.  Now it's really wet lands.

Happy Flag Day

ORIF

  Well once again surgery is over.   I almost made it a year...........The xray isn't mine but it is the same type of hardware I had put in.   I now have metal in my neck,  lower back, and wrist.  My frame is getting stronger and stronger.
 
    The surgery went pretty well.  No hives this time.  My oxygen levels kept dropping, probably from my years of smoking.  Soon as I would drop off, bam, right down to 60% and they are suppose to be above 90.  But once I woke up better that improved.

    Pain level.   Well anytime a bone is involved the pain level is high.   This is no exception.   My first day wasn't bad because all the lidocaine and stuff was still working.  Yesterday was simply awful and the pain was agonizing to say the least.   My fingers are all swollen and I am getting shooting pains up to my elbow and it literally feels like they put screws in me which they did.  I swear I can feel this intense pain over each screw.

   I have had several surgeries, but this one rates right up there.  Maybe because it is the 3rd time this wrist has been opened up.   I am taking percocet and phenergan for pain.  You know me, as soon as I can get off the pain meds I do because I hate the way they make me feel.  But I can tell I will need them again today.  I am literally watching the clock to see when I can have more pain med.   The pills seem to last about 2 hours and I can only have them every 4.

    Since I have actually been taking a strong pain med the other side effect to them is kicking in.   So Rick, who should be sainted as often and as well as he takes care of me, is on his way to the store to get me some mag citrate.   Can we say constipation!  Oh yeah.

   The worrisome part is my job.   Since they make you take FMLA along side of your short term disability that is what is screwing me up.   I had surgery already this year.  You can only take 12 weeks of FMLA before they post your job.  I had already used 6 weeks earlier in the year and now I only have 4 weeks left.  I have to get completely ready to go back to work in 4 weeks or I may lose my job.  I hate FMLA.  The only ones who jobs seem to get saved are those who abuse it.  Those of us who unfortunately had 2 accidents in a year get screwed.  I may lose my job of 31 years because I tripped and fell.  See what happens when you let the government take control,  it always bites you back big time.

  But there are some things I may be able to do to save my job.  Course it means time off without pay but if that is what I need to do I will do it.  Otherwise I survived another surgery.   I worry that my odds of living through another surgery may be getting iffy.  I sure hope and pray this is the last last time.  I have had my share.

   As they said it would daily our flooding gets worse.  It's like a nightmare in slow motion.  They said a trailer was floating down the river yesterday.   More and more houses get lost to the water every day.   And it is going to last a couple of more weeks.  Farmers crops, peoples homes from the super rich to the very poor, floating down the river.   It is a sad thing to see.

    Well, typing with hand is difficult so I will stop for now.

More flood and surgery

 Those are big trees and normally the water is a lot lower

   Houses flooded along the Missouri in Nebraska

Some birds are hitching a ride on the downed trees.

Sandbagged business's along the river.

I remember doing a photo shoot there after a bike ride.

  Great exit.

  This is just the beginning.  The worse is still coming.

   My wrist has been hurting so much for a reason.   The bone shifted and I am having surgery in the morning.  I am very upset but what can you do?