Summertime

Now that it's finally not raining all the time, we've had some lovely weather. I got to enjoy a sunny 78º midwestern summer day today. Frodo had a baseball game this evening - actually, he had two as we are getting near tournament season. The first game they easily won. It was delightful soaking up the sunshine, a light breeze blowing just enough to keep us from feeling too warm. The second game, they still won, although not as easily. The sun started sinking in the sky and out they came. The mosquitoes.

Oh. My. Goodness. I cannot believe all the mosquitoes. Granted, we were expecting them once the rains finally stopped. We have mosquitoes every year. They aren't unusual. And after flooding rains, we get what is termed as a "flood hatch" - a huge explosion in the mosquito population a week or two after the heavy rains. I guess the unusual amount of rain we had contributed to the unusual number of mosquitoes we now have. Locally, the public health department uses traps to monitor the number of mosquitoes in the area. About 10 days ago, they had low numbers - something like 50 mosquitoes per night in the traps. Recently, they are getting nearly FOUR THOUSAND mosquitoes per night in the traps. That means we've had an 800 fold increase in our mosquito count this past week. That's a lot of 'skeeters!

One positive in all this - the floodwater mosquito is NOT the one that carries West Nile Virus. I'll keep reminding myself of that as I'm taking iron supplements for all the blood loss.

And the flooding continues...

In my last note, I mentioned how I was mesmerized with the houses falling into the river in the Wisconsin flooding. Now, I've been seeing the flooding in Iowa and I'm no longer mesmerized. Now I am heavy-hearted.

I lived in Cedar Rapids and the surrounding area when I was younger. It's a wonderful city with even more wonderful people. The photos and videos I've seen coming from there are shocking. The river that flows through the city (the Cedar River) crested over 31 feet above normal level. Look up to your ceiling. How high is that? Mine is your standard 8 ft ceiling. So that means I need to quadruple that height to get an idea of how much higher than normal the river rose. Can you even imagine having water that reaches the second floor of your home!?!?? Or higher!?!?!? I only had a couple inches of water in my basement a couple months ago, and that frustrated me. I can't imagine having my entire home's contents floating around....

Because I consider that area my "hometown", I've been wishing I could help somehow. I can't get there due to flooding and even if I could, I don't think there is much to be done for now until the waters recede. So I've done some searching and found some ways for me or anyone to help financially.

First option is through the local Salvation Army. They provide food and drink for people affected by the flooding as well as volunteers, emergency workers, or any others in need.

Next option is through the local Red Cross chapter. (On the left, click on "make a donation", then click on "Donate Now".) They provide shelter, food, and snacks for people who have been forced from their homes due to flooding.

If you want to help physically by offering materials or volunteering time, here is one website that has been set up to connect people for those needs.

For other updates, you can get information from the local newspaper's website. Near the top is also a link that says "How to help people in Cedar Rapids". It is in a blog message format - the original post is there, and updates and other information are in the messages section.

Fortunately, some drier weather days are in the forecast. I hope the citizens can all get in and start their cleanup and recovery efforts soon.

I'm a bad blog mommy

I've been so neglectful. Call BPS (Blog Protective Services) and turn me in. At least it looks like it didn't completely starve to death.

I have been a busy girl. Frodo is playing or practicing baseball nearly every day with his team this year. Running him around to these various practices and games is insane. If I had more kids, I'd go crazy getting them all around to various activities. :P

This is the last week of school. Frodo's teacher decided to put on a class play. I get a note home on a Wednesday night (of course Frodo gives it to me at 9pm...) stating he is to have a costume into the classroom by Friday. Ummmm..... Eek! I plowed to Goodwill on Thursday evening to see what I could find and then sat up that night altering the clothing to fit Frodo. And my sewing skills leave much to be desired. Needless to say, his costume is held together in various places with lots of safety pins. (Sort of like my kitchen curtains that I hemmed with a stapler.)

I decided now is the time. It is time for me to eat healthier. Basically, it is time for me to lose some weight. I started Weight Watchers on Saturday. I've been eating good since then, and I have to say, I'm feeling surprisingly good. My goal is to lose somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-40 pounds. A friend was supposed to start with me, but she's always got excuses. That just means the time isn't right for her. When she's ready, she'll get going. She doesn't want to let go of her food the same way a smoker doesn't want to let go of cigarettes. (She also happens to be a smoker that doesn't want to quit. And a drinker that doesn't want to cut back. ) Honestly, I think she has a lot more issues to deal with, but once again, she's not ready to face those issues.

I'm watching Letterman right now - Alanis Morissette is singing. Anyone else remember her from the "You Can't Do That On Television" days? Hee hee. Before her, the guest was a UFO specialist named Jeff Peckman. That was an odd one. His looks reminded me of someone, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

I've been mesmerized with the footage out of Wisconsin with the houses falling into the flooded river. Mother Nature is mad about something!