The Flood

Dad always said that people remember things differently, and I know that is true. But this is my memory....
The Great Flood of Orangeville happened on the last day of school when I was in 5th grade. Anyway, that is what sticks in my memory because the next year on the last day of school, Uncle Jim...(Principal Peacock) showed us his home movie of the great flood. The entire school took their chairs up to lunchroom to watch the movie, along with other movies. I remember him asking who remembered that day the previous year. We didn't have the lunchroom until I was in sixth grade, so the flood had to be when I was in fifth grade. That's the way it is in my memory.

It had rained all day long, really rained. Back then, we had ditched, the canal, and the one-lane bridge. I remember walking home in the pouring rain and getting drenched to the skin. I remember sitting on the red stool watching out the kitchen window as the water rushed down the road. The jeep was outside at the end of the sidewalk and the water was up to the middle of the wheels. Dad was running in and out, driving away and then coming home, for whatever reason. I know there were a few times he grabbed the shovel and went up to the canal on the corner, where the canal crossed under main street. I suppose they were trying to close down the gate that let the water into the ditches.

The canal ran along from the corner on Main Street behind Uncle Bruce's house and to the corner by the elementary ball field. There was only a small dirt road along that block east of the school, with the open canal right where the middle of the road is now. There was a foot bridge that went from across the bridge over to Aunt Lorene's house, no handrails or guard rails. The canal was flooded over and the foot bridge was underwater. Sometime during the afternoon we got in our car and drove over to Aunt Lorene's house. I remember seeing the water coming down the road in front of the school and across the canal. I wondered how the water went OVER the water in the canal! The water was moving really fast down the road and fields there, right into George and Ann Bell's basement windows.

I remember people saying that the canal above town had broken and the water was all rushing east through town. My kids might remember how the rain rushes off the clay hills up the canyon...well that is what was happening, but it was all over town. Cottonwood Creek was so full, with trees and muddy water rushing so fast. The water came clean up to our backyard, in the middle of all the apple and plum trees. There was a time Mom worried about the water coming up to the house.

I remember the water had washed over the road at the Mill Dam, and for several months we couldn't get across, until a new road was built. I don't remember if the dam there broke, or if it was always broken. It seems like another chunk of it was broken off.

You can see from the picture above that the water had been higher than in the picture. Look on the step on the left. It has dirt and debris that was left from the higher water. The walking path on the other side of the bridge was probably just touching the water. I hated to walk across that on a good day, let alone during a flood!

It was certainly a flood to remember. I don't think a "last day of school" goes by that I don't think about that flood. I am sure everyone has lots of stories they could tell about The Great Flood of Orangeville.

Happy Birthday Morgan

My sweet Morgan is turning 6 years old today! What a sweetheart she is. She loves animals, horses especially, although she has never had a horse, except for Buttercup, which is almost a real horse. She is very cute and very smart, and very funny. She recently was giving her parents a difficult time by arguing with her younger brother in the backseat of the car. I guess it was quite a fight. Her dad tried to get her to think about what she was doing by asking "What would you do if Jesus were here with you." To which she replied, "I would rather sit by Jesus than by Maxwell!" She always comes up with random things that catch you off-guard. She is such a sweetheart and we love her so much! Happy birthday, Morgan!

Our New Neighbors

We filled a bird feeder with bird seeds and put it out on the deck. We tried the same thing last year and didn't see many new birds. This year is a different story. Using my new camera, a small point and shoot thing that fits in my purse, I was able to zoom in pretty good on these birds. I think I will try it with my "old" Canon Rebel to see if they are a bit more clear, but this is okay for just a quick snapshot. Our deck is now littered with seed shells. It is fun to watch the birds sit there and crack the seeds. They eat, then fly off the trees in the back yard. At one time I counted 15 birds sitting in the trees just waiting their turn at the feeder. Yesterday we were gone for the day, and when we came home the feeder was empty. Garth filled it up the and chatter began. You could almost imagine the birds telling each other "Dinner's on!" They came and ate the whole feeder-full again. We have a few hummingbirds, too. I don't know if the other birds are scaring them away, or if they just haven't returned yet, but there aren't too many of them. I think we might find a new place for the seed-feeder because they are really making a mess of the deck, and may be keeping the hummingbirds away. I don't want to lose these beautiful golden, and salmon colored birds. They are so fun to watch.

Happy Birthday, Tammy

May 9th was on a Tuesday the day my first baby was born. A beautiful little girl who stole her Daddy's heart, and her mom's. What a precious little sweetheart. I know that every parent knows what emotions come from every birth, how love just fills the room. They show you that love multiplies, never divides. Each child brings so much love right along with them.
Back in the "olden days" you had to wait until the birth to find out if that baby was a girl or boy. Everyone was sure that the Ware family would eventually get that boy, but again, a girl. Amazingly, no one was disappointed because girls are so special. We were just so excited to have you in our family.
We loved you so much then, and we still do. You have been so strong-willed from the very beginning. You would never sleep. I think you were 7 before you slept through the night, up many hours. Dad learned to sleep in a recliner with you on his chest. You climbed the bookcasees so many times, showing us that no obstacle would get in your way. Keep climbing....we know you will reach your goal.
Congratulations on the grades you got this quarter. The next few years will go past any way, and you might as well be working toward this goal during that time. We are proud of you!
Have a great birthday! Thanks for being our sweet baby. We love you!

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to my special best friend! Even on his birthday he is doing something for someone else. This morning he took off with one of the high school teachers to drive students up to UVU for a car mechanics competition.

That is one of the things I love so much about Garth. He is always helping others. He will never let need go without being there to help someone. Others needs always come before his. But he never neglects his family or puts himself first.

He is such a hard worker. He just can't sit still and do nothing. (Except on a late Sunday afternoon.) His drive keeps him working many jobs. He works his second job just because he can't be home at 1:00 pm and do nothing, and they needed some help. So it filled two needs in his life.

He send me flowers, and leaves me notes which I cherish. He has been there for me during these trying times this past year. Right now he meets me every morning down at the therapy office while I get my legs wrapped up. He understands how difficult it is for me when I can't get around like I want to. He lets me keep the light on late at night while I do my sewing projects or read in bed, even though he gets up at 3:30 am to go to work. He wakes up before his alarm so he can turn it off before it wakes me up.

He is loved by all his grandchildren. I even think his own kids love him a bit :) His joy is apparent when he is with his grandkids. He would do anything for them. I don't even mind it when I am talking with the kids and they say, "Hello, Grandma. Can I talk with Grandpa?" They love him as much as he loves them. He is a fun grandpa and nothing makes him happier than to be fishing with his grandkids, or spending time at the park, or just walking down the street with them.

It means so much to him to see his own children attending church and making the right decisions to keep close to the Lord. He loves the good life they are all living, all the right choices they are making.

Garth is a wonderful man. I love you, dear.