Storms, and Flooding Last Night

The State of Missouri,  Southwest Missouri for my part was inundated with wind, storms, and lots of rain.  There was flooding in Cassville, and I heard reports of Roaring River State Park evacuating campers,  and rightly so.

Flat Creek which is on the edge of our back yard anyway is up into a part of the yard.  I will share with you a couple of pictures I took a few minutes ago.

Just for your assurances; it is several feet from our residence, so we are not concerned with flooding of our home.

This morning as I considered the night I thought of Nahum the prophet chapter 1 verse 3.  He is in charge.

That is the way it is today on the banks of Flat Creek,

~tim

Gooseberries

There was a time when I was a child my Dad worked with my Uncle Duane, Dad’s brother, putting up hay for the Winter, and feeding cattle.  My uncle and his sons, Dad, and myself would put up a lot of hay each Summer.  Part of the treat of working at my Uncle’s farm was getting to eat dinner, our midday meal.  Let me explain where I grew up we had breakfast, dinner, and supper; there was no lunch.  Sometimes for dinner one dessert my Aunt Ollie prepared and served was Gooseberry cobbler.  Most of the time these were served at family get togethers.

Aunt Ollie’s gooseberry cobbler was the best I have ever eaten.  If you have never eaten a gooseberry cobbler or pie you have missed a treat.  If you have eaten a Rhubarb pie; that comes pretty close, but it is not gooseberry.  Uncle Duane and Aunt Ollie have gone home to be with the Lord.  We no longer have family get togethers with their children, nor do we do the hay thing.  I miss them, and I miss the Gooseberry cobbler.

I mention this because I am going to experiment with raising some gooseberries.  I thought about a few months ago, but never got around to do it.  This morning I needed to go to town [Cassville], and take care of some business, and pick up some meds at the pharmacy; but I had to stop on the way out our road to trim a tree limb out of the road.  When I started rolling the limb, and its brush over the hill I noticed a clump of Gooseberry bushes.  I decided then and there that when I came back by I would stop, and pull a couple of them, plant them at our house in the fence row, and see what happens.

I did just that.  They are planted, and hopefully will begin producing berries in a year or two.

If they do I will need to make me some fresh Gooseberry pie, or cobbler.

-tim

The Bite of Frost

When I came into the Living Room this morning the temp was 31 degrees outside.  I just went out a little while ago and looked and there is frost on the ground and on our cars.  We are not yet passed the time of frost, though I think some around had felt there would be no more.

Some have planted tomato plants and other plants in jeopardy to frost.  I do not believe it is a hard frost though, and maybe this frost is only in low lying areas such as where we are.

I did notice that the Cassville temp is at 40 degrees.  No danger there of frost.

-Tim

Coldest Morning

Living in Southwest Missouri is a mystery when it comes to the weather.  In nearby Cassville the temp is showing at 19 degrees; hear at my house at 4 a.m. my thermometer showed 8 degrees…and it is still at 8 degrees.

Winter began officially on December 22, and we have had really nice temps for Christmas, and it began to change a bit on New Years day, getting cooler with wind.  The wind sure does not help any.  We had much colder days before the official start of Winter.

However, this morning is the coldest since the cool weather of Autumn and Winter began.  Our coldest; up until this morning was 12 degrees; but I do not remember what day.  I just remember it being that cold as I stepped out the door to go to work.

We live in a low spot next to the creek, and that probably has something to do with our temps being cooler than other places.  I still like living where I do very much.

I am thankful for my home and the land on which we live and are God’s stewards of.  He has blessed us immensely.

Come heat or cold I will praise the LORD.

-Tim

The First Snow

On Tuesday December 6 we got our first measurable snow.  It was in fact the first I had seen this season.  By that I mean I had not even noticed a flake or anything until I got up about 2:30 a.m. and noticed in the lights there was a pretty serious amount of snow falling.  It did end up being less than an inch, but it was hazardous.

We had school that day, but I think there were a few of us drivers who were probably thinking, “What are we doing out here?”  I was probably one of them, yet we just did our job, picked up those kids, and brought them into school.

On the way into the bus the road did not seem slick.  Driving was pretty normal.  The snow seemed to be dry and blowing off the road as you drove over it; however it was packing under those wheels,  I guess, and it became a sheet of ice on some roads.

When I pulled out from Wildcat Drive onto Business 37 by the Administration Building my bus went sideways, and into a sign, breaking out the right rear clearance light, and I noticed later a mark on the sign.  I saw one driver in the ditch on his side on Highway 76 East of what is known as Bates Corner.  I rarely am stressed about driving, but this morning was an exception to that.  It is probably a good thing that I was.

Without further incident or accident every bus made it safely back into school with all the children who rode that morning.

Just to note: our people at the school who make the decisions concerning weather conditions do a good job, and this morning was no different; considering the time and conditions.  It was not slick, then it was.  There was many incidents/accidents that morning, but thankfully not many were too serious; that I know of anyway.

Now safe and warm on the banks of Flat Creek.

-Tim

What a Difference

It must be that we live in a low valley, and next to the Creek.  It must be what makes the temp here cooler than say, like in Cassville.  According to AccuWeather the temp in Cassville was 51 when I got online this morning; our thermometer right now at 4:47 a.m. reads 38 degrees.  BRRRRRRRR.

My that is going to feel brisk and cool this morning after just a few days go temps at 100 and above.  It will be nice for a change.  We do, however, still need some rain.  Especially since we moved our dirt mound yesterday.  As the wind was blowing we could see little dirt devils taking the dirt away.

We filled holes and low spots in the yard; what used to be a pasture, now our yard is beginning to look like a yard, but now has dirt spots which need some seed and grass growing.  It will not grow, though without water.

I thank my friend Dennis for bringing his skid steer and taking all his Labor Day to labor in moving all that dirt.

I thank GOD my Lord and Master for every good and righteous and perfect gift.

Cool on the banks of Flat Creek.

-Tim

Nightmare for a School Bus Driver

And it was not as I was sleeping.  It happened as I was driving my morning route yesterday morning (8/25/11).  It was my last stop picking up children.

This year I had part of the town of Cassville added to my route.  I pick up thirty to forty children on this extra leg of my run; and drop them off of the evening before I head out of town to run the rural area of my route.

On this morning I put my yellow overhead lights on.  They were flashing at least 500 feet before the stop; there was on coming traffic; some not making any seeming effort to prepare to stop.  As I pulled to the stop one pickup truck went by as I was opening the door for the stop sign to come out and the red lights started flashing.  The boy I was picking up from the left side of the road came running out of the house toward the street with an oncoming Chevy Tahoe, burgundy in color; the boy running toward the bus, looking at the bus, seemingly unaware of the oncoming traffic.  I am screaming for him to stop; hoping that he will hear me.  I am screaming, “Stop. Stop. Stop.”  I should have laid on my  horn; but I did not even get the license plate number of the Tahoe.

The boy did finally stop when he reached the edge of the street/highway and the Tahoe went right on through the stop sign with red flashing lights.  Question.  How does someone miss seeing a large yellows School Bus with yellow or red flashing lights.  Red flashing lights in the stop sign on the left side of the bus.  Red flashing lights overhead on the bus.

I don’t know this for a fact, but my thoughts tell me that this person, male or female, was had one of those pieces of technology attached to their ear called a cell phone.  What are we supposed to be doing when we are behind the steering wheel of a car?  Driving.  Driving, especially in the city or a small town like Cassville; requires devotion to driving.  Concentrating on what you are doing.

DON’T BE STUPID!  How would you feel if you hit a child and killed, maimed and/or injured them?

A few years ago when I was driving a bus in Farmington, MO. I saw a kindergarten girl hit by a car as I was getting ready to pull up to a stop where several apartment children met to ride the bus.  It was a horrifying sight.  I was relieved when I got there that she was not injured, but just in case, her father took her to get checked out.

Again, DON’T BE STUPID.  Schools are beginning to be in session.  Drive with care.  Notice those big yellow monsters called School Buses.  They are hauling the most precious cargo.  Your children and grand children.

Just another reflection from the banks of Flat Creek.

-Tim

Summer is Ended…

No Summer has not officially ended; it does have another month or so for the sun to continue its downward trek to the South toward the Autumnal equinox and then to Winter Solstice.  Summer is ended as far as the education or our children and grand children are concerned; at least in many School Districts of Southwest Missouri.

As I typed in the title of this post I thought that sounds like a verse from the Bible; I looked and it is found in the writings of the prophet Jeremiah chapter 8 and verse 20;

“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” (KJV)

No, children you are not saved from the coming of school, classes, math, reading, literature, Social Studies or what ever it’s called nowadays.  No, teachers you are not saved from the hustle and bustle, disrespect, sometimes disagreeable, and angry children.

The Summer is ended for vacation.  Its time to fill the minds of the children with the desire to learn.  Even to learn how to learn.  I think we adults sometimes forget that we all need to learn how to learn.  That must start in childhood.  From the newborn on through adulthood.  As you can tell by my writing; I am still learning; at least I hope so.

Summer is ended… for school students across Southwest Missouri and other parts of the Country; and the grass is growing, greening, and cooler weather is coming.

From the banks of Flat Creek with my rambling; I pray all the teachers, Administrators, bus drivers, maintenance workers, cooks and all have a great, safe, and wonderful new school year.

-Tim

More Rain

It is a blessing to get more rain.  Even as I write this post it is raining.  It sounds a bit windy as well, but that’s okay as long as it rains to give the nourishment to the soil, grass, crops and trees.  God is truly amazing, awesome, and gracious.  Thank YOU Father.

You can tell that schools are preparing to start again.  Specials in the stores for new children’s clothing, school materials such as notebooks, paper, pencils, pens, crayons, etc..  One of the ways I know it is is that I start getting letters from the School that reminds us of Bus Driver training day; which is today; and it begins around 8 a.m.  In one week Cassville R-IV School District will begin; ie., Wednesday August 17, 2011.

I look forward to the new School year, but the Summer sure seemed short.

On the banks of Flat Creek, I am…

-Tim

The Heat is On

“It sure is hot!” or “It feels like a blast furnace.” or “It’s like stepping into an oven out there.”  How many times have you heard these phrases or something similar?  Probably several, if you live in the South, Midwest or Northeast parts of the USA.

Remember last February.  Temps on one day around Cassville, Mo fell in some places to about -30 degrees.  Yesterday [July 21, 2011], at my house, the temp was +110.  That would be a plus of 140 degrees from that day in February.

The heat is on, for sure, and the grass is no longer green; with the exception of a few places.  I mowed my front yard last evening, and it seemed that I was mowing dust; but the front yard looks much better.

It is hot outside, and when the morning temps are in the mid seventies, that doesn’t look like a cooling for the day ahead.  I much prefer the 110 to that of 30 below zero.  I am also very thankful for the heat of the sun.  Without it we would all freeze in a matter of minutes. Though none of us want to be roasted or baked alive.

GOD is so good to us.  He is full of mercy and grace.  He placed this planet in just the right location for life, especially human life; and there is no place like it in the universe.

There is no place like living along the banks of Flat Creek.  No place.

Enjoy the heat for the next few days.  Absorb the rays of  the sun.  Let it warm you.  You will need it in a few months.

LORD, we do ask for rain for growth and nourishment of crops, and filling the rivers and streams in our area.  Thank YOU Almighty GOD.

-Tim

The Wind of Wednesday

It was early Wednesday morning which the wind I wrote of previously came, and struck a bit of fear in my mind.  That wind had some power and did some damage.  Not to my home, or my life.  The damage is something which can be fixed.

The damage was at our family cemetery, just up the hill from where my wife and I live.  There was two good metal gates which hung at the entrance off the road, now there is only one which is in good shape; the other badly damaged.  Both have been de-hinged from the post and the tree.  One was hung on a post and the other on a large oak tree.

I noticed this damage as I was going out our road to our Pastor’s luncheon in Cassville.  I stopped at my parents house and let Dad know about the tree limb which was on the gates, and the damage done.

One of the sad parts about all that wind is there was very little rain in the storm – it barely got the ground wet; it settled the dust.  Thank the Lord for the lack of damage.  It could have been much worse.

-Tim

Just Thinking 01/31/10

We are in the midst of the Winter months, and we are reaping the cold and snow of “Global warming”, and I laugh. It seems that most of the US of A is under a blanket of white fluffy snow, and temps are in the teens and below at night.

The cold of Winter is still expected in the Winter, and the heat of Summer is expected in the Summer. I believe that is how God has ordained things, at least, since the fall of man in the garden of Eden; and maybe since the flood of Noah and the ark; which God used to deliver the human race from total destruction.

Summer and Winter; and Springtime and Harvest (Autumn, Fall) will continue as long as the sun and the moon endure. Let’s trust these matters to our Lord, Creator, Redeemer, Savior, and Almighty God in His Son Jesus Christ.

We received a little more ice and snow on Friday morning which suspended School activities of Cassville, MO, and a few others. Some waited longer and canceled. I was glad to be out Friday.

The reason I was glad is my son and his wife Sarah L. had a new baby girl – Lydia Rae. She was scheduled for Friday January 29, by caesarean section. She weighed 8 pounds and 9 ounces at birth and was 21.5 inches long. She was a Blankenship baby. I mean by that that most of us are born fairly good sized.

As long as sinful man continues there will be heat and cold, drought and snow; and yes even life and death. One day there will be an end of sin, and sinful men; and all will be made new. That comes when Christ comes to rule and reign on earth, and puts sin forever away.

The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

-Tim A. Blankenship