A Storm Rolls In

There is a storm that is keeping me from attending this weekend's Great Lakes Congress show in Chicago and it rolled in around 1:00 PM yesterday. Despite the fact that the rain portion of the storm had already begun, I decided to run to the barn for a quick check on the horses before the ice and snow arrived.

That rain (2 inches!) coupled with the melting 13 inches of snow from ten days ago had turned everything into a muddy mess.

I didn't feel like slogging through it to get to Abby, and since Tim was also at the barn, I knew he'd checked them and that they were fine.

A quick check showed that the water trough was full and the heater working, and so I chatted with Tim a few minutes and then headed back home.

Shortly after I got there, the rain transitioned to sleet and freezing rain. I cleaned up from the barn and then went upstairs to my sewing room to work on some projects.

This is the sound of the sleet and freezing rain being blown against the windows in my sewing room.

It didn't take long before the ice had accumulated enough that I could not see out those windows.

Because of the snowmelt from the last storm as well as the rain from this one, we are experiencing heavy flooding along with the snow and ice. The Wabash is over many roads including North River Road, the one I lived on growing up.

This is a picture I took a few years ago of that highway during another time when the Wabash flooded. My home is to the left and behind about 100 feet. The Wabash had jumped its banks and covered the road. (Unlike those crazy drivers ahead of me, I did NOT drive through that water. I turned around and went back the way I had come.)

The Wabash, Tippecanoe, and Wildcat are all out of their banks and causing travel issues. Couple that flooding with the ice and snow, plus the bitter cold coming in tonight, and it's going to be a while before I leave the house again.

As I write, the schools are on a two hour delay this morning. With the way the roads are, I am hoping that the school superintendent ends up canceling school and keeping students and staff safe.  Go here to read about a time when he made a different decision.

As for the GLC show, there's no doubt I made the right decision to stay home.