More Local Scenes from the Storm

Sometimes the road is the path of least resistance.

This "pond" is normally a fenced in pasture with lush grass. 

This was not a waterfront home last week.

This large red oak fell across the ditch and blocked the access to one of our fields on the other side. More firewood. The root system in the saturated stream bank proved unable to battle the wind.

Grandsons can be showoffs!

This is Sheppard's Crossing of the Pocomoke River. It is south of Gumboro, Delaware and near the headwaters of the river. The Pocomoke drains much of the water from the east side of Wicomico County and from the west side of Worcester County into the Chesapeake Bay.  

The river has spilled over it's banks. In the summer, this part of the river often has less than a foot of water, but yesterday was not a normal day.

                     It isn't over yet!

The northeaster is weakening, but it is persistent! We visited Trap Pond State Park, north of Whitesville, Delaware, today to see what was happening there.

Little whirlpools popped up in the fast running water. 

The drainage ditches overflowed their banks in many areas.

Even in the driving rain, Trap Pond seemed tranquil enough.

The dam and spillway told another story. The water spilling over this dam is usually only an inch or two, or in dry weather not at all. Today it was spilling at least eight to ten inches over the top. The bottom of the spillway is normally only a few inches deep, but today it was about four feet, and within a foot of the top of the dam, meaning the water was piling up downstream. 

The tailwaters below the dam expanded into the woodland over the normal level.

We leave the park on a peaceful note.  

We will post more pictures tomorrow of the high water invasion in our area. That will be the last for awhile, promise.

             Cucumbers - More than just Food

   (We haven't tried all of these, but can vouch that some of them do work)

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber.  Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower?  Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds?  Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long.  The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool?  Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite.  Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache?  Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes?  Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge?  Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa?  Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints?  Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel?  Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake?  Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!! Pass this along to everybody you know who is looking for better and safer ways to solve life's everyday problems

                    We are all together in life

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife  open a package. "What food might this contain?", the mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.  

   Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed this warning : 

   "There is a mousetrap in the house!   

                        “There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched,   

raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse,

 I can tell this is a grave concern to you,

 but it is of no consequence to me.  

 I cannot be bothered by it."  

The mouse turned to the pig and told him,

"There is a mousetrap in the house!   

“There is a mousetrap in the house!"

 The pig sympathized, but said,

 "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse,

 but there is nothing I can do about it

                                           but pray.. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said,

 "There is a mousetrap in the house! 

 "There is a mousetrap in the house!"

 The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you,

 but it's no skin off my nose."

                          So, the mouse returned to the house, 

                          head down and dejected, to face the

                          farmer's mousetrap. . Alone.. . .

             That very night a sound was heard throughout the house 

                      -- the sound Of a mousetrap catching its prey.

             The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.  

             In the darkness, she did not see it.  

             It was a venomous snake whose tail was caught in the trap.

             The snake bit the farmer's wife.

                         The farmer rushed her to the hospital.    

                        When she returned home she still had a fever. 

        Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup.  

        So the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the

        soup's main ingredient: chicken

       But his wife's sickness continued.  Friends and neighbors 

       came to sit  with her around the clock.  

       To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

                         But, alas, the farmer's wife did not get well... She died.

                         So many people came for her funeral  that the farmer had

                         the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them 

                         for the funeral luncheon.

                         And the mouse looked upon it all  

                         from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

                         So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem 

                         and you think it doesn't concern you, remember ---

                         When one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. 

                         We are all involved in this journey called life. 

                         We must keep an eye out for one another 

                         and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

                         REMEMBER - EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN

                         ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY, OUR LIVES

                         ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.

                         One of the best things to hold onto 

                         In this world is a FRIEND.

              A Rugged Northeaster

With five inches of rain in the gauge and still coming down, and winds gusting to 40 or more, it's a tough day to be out.

Took a trip to Ocean City to see what was happening there. The ocean was in turmoil with plenty of pretty big waves, minor flooding, and the dozers were on the beach pushing sand. The ocean was especially angry at the entrance to the inlet. Not a good day for fishing. Maybe a little tough for even a diehard surfer.

The drainage ditches emptying into the Pocomoke River were very high, some near or over their banks.