deja vu

Exactly one year and a handful of hours later, the mighty Forked Deer is scheduled to crest just as it did on May 4th, 2010. I love these seasonal reminders that mother nature is totally in charge, in spite of all our planning. It can be scary, but not if you have faith. The way I look at things, I figure I'll survive as long as Big Ernie sees fit, and hopefully die with a smile on my face. When I came in this afternoon there were markers in the ditches to guide me out in tomorrow's early morning dark back to the sawmill. My brother and I were discussing the irony of blowing levees that protect government subsidized farmland that they were built to protect. That's job security for the corp, building and blowing and patching. Meanwhile, the rest of us deal with the consequences. New Orleans will more than likely feel the effect of this downward spiral of water in a way that's not too good considering what they went through with Katrina. I'm not blaming Bush or Obama or anybody in particular. I just think that we all ought to have better sense than to buy into that nonsense. Was there a part of me that relished picturing Osama gettin' a bullet in the head. Hell yeah. But do I think it will solve the problem of terrorism? Not a snowball's chance. The problem with terrorists is that they are followers instead of thinkers. They band up on a single cause like 'death to america' or make your wife your slave and off with your head if you don't agree. Big Ernie does NOT like that ya'll. There will be much amazement when you find out there's no virgins in the fiery pit. Take that Westboro bunch that acts up at military funerals. Fiery pits, ya'll. Better get ready.

This flood is different in many aspects from last years' in that the Mississippi is full to the gills and whatever local flooding of the tributaries that takes place will pretty much sit there until after the crest and slow fall of the big muddy. Skeeter city. A barge hit the bridge crossing from Tennessee to Missouri today and it got shut down for an inspection leaving lots of commuters wondering if they can get to and from home. My friend at Quapaw Canoe sent out an email today cancelling all river activity with his business for the month of May to try to let things settle out a bit. He'll be happily carving away the whole time, I feel sure.

We shall see.

^j^