I kinda like being an island...but not for long

When it rains, it pours...

...and POUR did it EVER!


Days of heavy rain turned many local roads into rivers here in central PA, some flowing and some just standing still, the already over-soaked ground unable to keep up.


Our normally busy road, with tractor trailers and drivers flying by at 50 MPH when they should be doing 35 or less, (PENNDOT, get ready...I'll be writing!), was very quiet yesterday. And this was why:


Flooding, less than a quarter mile in one direction...

...aaand flooding a quarter mile in the other direction.

All the trash and debris (and trash receptacles) that floated down from people's homes and from the park

Essentially, our little town/village turned into an island all its own for a day...and I LOVED it (except for our normal running routes being under water)! No vehicles on our road (except for the onlookers and those who couldn't figure out how to get around), neighbors milling about, kids in the middle of the street...

(Yes, yes...they were already told that this isn't something they get to do everyday. What kind of mother do you think I am? Sheesh!)


We were rather fortunate...just a little water in the basement, wetting several plastic containers. Easily cleanable. Others, though (including my brother-in-law and sister-in-law) are dealing with rain into the first floor of their homes (or even covering their homes), forcing evacuations. And still several others are dealing with severe loss, such as the family in our county whose 8 year old died in front of their home, sucked into a storm drain. Oh, how my heart hurts for them.


So, while the rain waters recede, the schools re-open, and the clean up begins...remember to lend a helping hand and check in on others. While it was nice to be an island for one day, reality eventually comes back and things go back to normal for most of us...but not for all.

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.

- Edward Everett Hale