Southeast Kansas Flooding Update

I live in Humboldt, Kansas. The population less than 2000 and is approx 30 miles from Fredonia, a town seen on the weather channel this weekend. Record breaking flooding levels in the entire region. Iola, ten miles north of us, has evacuated the south part of the community. Twelve counties declared as a state of emergency.

Word is that the water has not been this high since 1990 so below are images taken over the last 24 hours. (posted July 1, 1 pm, 2007)

This is the road on the west side of town. In a small town such as our this is a major occurrence, at one point there were even people in lawn chairs.

Another shot of the bridge west of town. There is a house on either side of this image, on either side of the street. One on the right has had water into the structure, the one on the left up to the house but not into. (Neither house is visible in the photo)


Homes on the south side of town have been flooded. These images were taken last night just before sunset. You now can not reach the road I took from.

This was taken from the overpass looking at 169 highway south of town, at about 7pm last night. Since then the water has gone over the road and it is now closed. The only way out of town is to get on 169 going north and not get off until Kansas City, 100 miles away.
This road is also now closed, image taken last night about 7 pm. It is the road you get on to get to the overpass shown in the previous image.

Can no longer get to this area either, west of town. In the distance you can see the bridge referred to in the first image.

Taken last night at about 7 pm. The bridge I stood on to take this image is no longer accessible.

Garden 2007

I haven't posted here in a long while! What have I been up to? Well, let's see.....

Doing the normal business things, website, started wiki, ETSY shop and so on and so forth.

Adjusting to not having my daughters around so much. They are growing up, at 19 and 21 they prefer time with their boyfriends to hanging out with their old mom :0)

They both dropped by last night,one to do her laundry, and the other for a ride. They both wound up staying for several hours, so twas nice. Good times, good times....

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I started a garden, FYI this blog will primarily be used to record in the coming months. I do not have a tiller, and I m waiting to invest in one to be sure I will be using it. I will wait until next year at least to purchase one. This year though, a neighbor brought in is tractor and plowed and disc it for me for a small fee ($15)

It is only about 450 square feet. But, for me that is large. It is shrinking in size as I get things in the ground. The problem is I want to plant everything! So far I only have potatoes, spinach and half the green beans in the ground, and 30% of the space is used up.

The way the area looked as I begin to make a grid out of hemp rope.

A closer up shot of the good old Kansas dirt! Lots of clumps, but the area has not been tilled in at least ten years. My in-laws use to live on the property and the same area was once used for a family garden.

In order to do the pumpkin, watermelon and cucumbers I may have to dig up another area to allow for all the vining.

Another shot of part of the yard. The 'clump' seen in the upper right is what is left of a sad apple tree that was hit by lightening years ago. The goal is to clean out the dead limbs and see if there is anything left to save, and if not to replace it with another apple tree sapling.

So far I have 'declumped' (yes, that is a word....cause I said so) the soil for the 30% planted. After the long hard winter, my out of shape body was sore for many days afterwards.

This week it has been gloomy and cloudy, with just enough rain to help the weeds grow and to make it too muddy to be able to get in the space and dig them out. But, I figure if the weeds are starting to pop up though, underneath the surface my plants may also be developing.

I will go out today, if it clear enough, and take an updated pic as the ones here were shot over a week ago.