FARM UPDATE

We went to the farm yesterday to check things out.  Two roads still impassable but it's just high water not any raging torrent, and it's slowly receding so that's good news.

Trees were all leaning over.  Sigh. So I pulled them (gently) back upright and tied them to stakes until we can do something more permanent. They all survived, so good news there.  The citrus trees (forgot to get a picture) have really done well and we might even have some fruit soon.  

Needless to say, I didn't have to water.  

Same can't be said for the lantana.  Sigh.  We were so happy they were doing well.  I guess they truly were over watered, it could even be that at some point the flowerbeds were completely submerged.  Of course, just off to the side you can see one of the pentas and they are just as happy as can be. Go figure. We just hope the lantana will bounce back as there are a few green leaves on all of them, and the big one looked fine. Hope springs eternal. 

The barn was fine and dry inside. The mower shed was dry but it looks like some water started coming in at some point.  It appears to be a leak around the door as opposed to flooding.  They both sit on the highest side of the yard.  I saw a slight gap in the door when I closed it so I need to work on that.  Hasn't been a problem with our other rains the last couple of years so it is possible it was just this extraordinary event.

I wish this photo could convey what was there.  Besides the grass needing to be mowed (hoping to do that tomorrow), there were mosquitoes.

EVERYWHERE.

You stepped in the grass and they swarmed up like clouds of smoke.  It was like a movie where mosquitoes are out to drain the blood of all mankind, ha. "J" from 2nd Family said night was so horrendous with mosquitoes, you can't even go outside. 

Speaking of 2nd Family, they are fine.  They said the water got high in their yard (it all runs from our end of the property toward theirs and the road beyond) but they were never in danger of flooding.  Of course, ALL the roads around the farm were cut off for days but they were stocked with supplies.  Another reason we will need to be prepared out there in the future! 

We're still trying to decide if we want flood insurance at the farm.  It's outside the 500 year flood zone.  Now they say this is a 1000 year flood event.  Seems like every few years we had two or three once in 100 year floods, then they call them a once if a 500 year flood.  Then we have one or two of those over a few years and then they call it a 1000 year flood. 

Things are definitely changing...

The storage unit had a bit of water on the backside.  Our unit has a roll up door on each end, it's an interior unit in a building, climate controlled.  They did not have ground flooding (though the flooding from one of the reservoirs was only about half a mile away, if that).  This was, instead, from a roof leak.  The wind and 40-50 inches of rain for several days was just more than the building could handle. A reason we need to do something with all the stuff in storage before NEXT hurricane season.   

This was the extent for us there, we put down a few towels and soaked up whatever was left. Very minor.  

We are experiencing what many in the Houston area are...an odd sense of survivors guilt. We don't have damage, we didn't lose our cars or other property. It's a weird feeling.  I saw this online, not sure who wrote it as it is making the rounds everywhere locally, but it kind of sums things up:

If you are in Houston or an area affected by Harvey, even if you are "OK", you are likely not OK.  Your nervous system is likely shot from anticipating your house would flood - even if you ended up being lucky and it didn't.  Your sleep has likely been spotty, fitful and interrupted by hyper-vigilance.  The 24/7 nature of the news has caused you to have spent days and nights worried sick not just about your safety, but the safety of your friends and family.  If you did flood and managed to evacuate, you are in a house that is not your own, wondering when and if you can ever return to your home. You likely have encountered days of eating things you are not accustomed to, trapped between four walls that you feel could be invaded by water at any time.  You may have been in more constant conflict with loved ones, due to heightened anxiety.  If your home is intact, you may feel forced to say "great, I am lucky" because you are, in many respects, but please remember that we all have gone through a collective traumatic experience. Your body, nervous system, spirit and heart are likely a kind of tired and overwhelmed that is different - and that is to be expected.  You are not alone.  You are OK and you are not OK.  Both things are true.  It's OK to seek help.  We are indeed all in this together. #houstonstrong