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  • From: <eureka AT hctc.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Primitive Technology Living
  • Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:25:49 -0500

Our house is about 32 inches higher than where the river rose to, and our sheep pen and garden another foot higher. That doesn't sound like much but I think it would have to rain a whole lot more because at this point the land flattens out into prairie and it would spread out. Our worst problem is the creek that divides our property is only about fifteen feet from the house and when the river floods the creek has nowhere to go and backs up. I've heard this was not the case when there was a low water crossing but sometime in the 50's culverts were installed and get clogged with trees "coming down". We try to keep our portion of it free of fallen wood and dead trees, but have no control over the mountain behind us. I carry flood insurance even though FEMA does not consider it necessary, just in case.

During the first big flood I was still unpacking and moving in. (This was the three slug flood). Someone called to tell me there was going to be a flood. This is the protocol: if you live upstream, you call everyone you know downstream. I looked into the creek, and nothing. Fifteen minutes later I looked and it was twenty feet deep! I decided to stop unpacking, it was like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. I called a neighbor who told me not to worry. He went down and placed rocks as markers on the street where the water had risen to. He came back about twenty minutes later and the rocks were underwater. I could see he was concerned. He and his wife came over with a truck and helped me get all my animals into carriers and took us into their home, about two feet higher than mine. Someone's large bull ended up in my front yard. Deer gathered on the street. I have never heard so much water, all around me.

Others not so fortunate have to be rescued by helicopters from their roofs. I don't think our house will flood, but it would be nice to have a permanent ladder to the roof!

On Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:42:13 -0400
EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net> wrote:


eureka AT hctc.net wrote:

Yes, the slugs (big 4" garden variety slugs) showed up in my kitchen during the rain *before* we knew it would rain enough to cause a flood. During these two floods the river rose 47 feet above it's normal depth quite suddenly (about an hour or so). An old timer told me he watches for snails crawling up the side of his barn. When we are having a flood, the locals say "the river is coming down" (not up) because it's always like a wall of water coming down like a bowling ball through the canyon carrying trees, livestock, cabins, cars. I am half a mile from the river but suddenly had river front property with a class V rapid in front of my driveway on these occasions. How could these slow little beings know to seek safety so early?

There's a whole lot of wisdom out there if we could reconnect with it. What Buhner is doing with plants could be applied to all living things: Listen and they will teach us.


Ground vibration?
I hope Sage, that you have high ground nearby and could get up out of the way of the water.

Bev
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