Yesterday I had a Remicade infusion to treat rheumatoid arthritis—something that happens once every eight weeks. Ken felt like making the trip with me. For one thing, he was interested in seeing river levels in the Red River Valley after the flooding earlier this spring—so he did the driving.
The trip between Fargo and Grand Forks isn’t exciting—the terrain is flat. Really flat. And while flooding is still issue for some of the smaller cities to the west, the only evidence of flooding that we saw was just north of Fargo—where I29 crosses the Sheyenne River by a hamlet called Harwood.
National newscasters do not understand the nature of overland flooding. Not all flooding in North Dakota came from rivers. When deep snow melts quickly—and when the soil is saturated from heavy fall rains—the water can’t soak in. It has no place to go except into the next field. Waters from fields flow downward and join until they rise above the roads and then the state highways and then the freeways. It eventually reaches rivers, but damage often occurs before it gets there.
Such was the nature of much of the flooding in our Red River Valley and by Harwood. There is a small river, but most of the water traveled overland to get to it. And although water no longer covered the freeway yesterday, it ran freely in the deep ditches. We were good citizens throughout the crisis, so this was our only view and we were impressed. Yet, I admit imagination based on prior experience is necessary to envision miles and miles of water deep enough to flow over the freeway—a foot or more over the freeway.
On the way home, I forgot about floods and looked at the sky. When the land is flat, skyscapes often grab a viewer’s attention. After a long, long winter and a gray, gray spring, yesterday’s sky was a glorious treat.
The trip between Fargo and Grand Forks isn’t exciting—the terrain is flat. Really flat. And while flooding is still issue for some of the smaller cities to the west, the only evidence of flooding that we saw was just north of Fargo—where I29 crosses the Sheyenne River by a hamlet called Harwood.
National newscasters do not understand the nature of overland flooding. Not all flooding in North Dakota came from rivers. When deep snow melts quickly—and when the soil is saturated from heavy fall rains—the water can’t soak in. It has no place to go except into the next field. Waters from fields flow downward and join until they rise above the roads and then the state highways and then the freeways. It eventually reaches rivers, but damage often occurs before it gets there.
Such was the nature of much of the flooding in our Red River Valley and by Harwood. There is a small river, but most of the water traveled overland to get to it. And although water no longer covered the freeway yesterday, it ran freely in the deep ditches. We were good citizens throughout the crisis, so this was our only view and we were impressed. Yet, I admit imagination based on prior experience is necessary to envision miles and miles of water deep enough to flow over the freeway—a foot or more over the freeway.
On the way home, I forgot about floods and looked at the sky. When the land is flat, skyscapes often grab a viewer’s attention. After a long, long winter and a gray, gray spring, yesterday’s sky was a glorious treat.
I had the camera with me because I planned to take a picture of daffodils in our daughter-in-law’s garden when we came back to Fargo—which we did. Jesus said, Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (Mt. 6:28b,29 ESV) I’ll be using a picture of the daffodils within the next week for the Thoughts for Inspiration blog, but here’s a preview. Aren’t they lovely?
But when looking at the sky, I remembered that I had the camera and I decided to expand my subject matter. In my amateur way, I think I took some awesome pictures. Truly, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Ps. 19:1 ESV)
Without intending to, I captured some of the expanse we live in. The wide open spaces. It looks bleak and barren right now. Not so. This summer the fields will reflect the farmer's planning and hard work. Our soil is some of the best!
Ken and I will be leaving tomorrow for a funeral on Saturday. We should be home Sunday or Monday. If you are a praying person, we’d appreciate prayer for the journey. Blessings. Have a great Mother’s Day.
2 comments:
Particularly love that last sky picture! Have traveled in that area many a time - between Winnipeg (Winterpeg) and Sioux Falls, and Fargo, and Grand Forks! Each area has its own beauty. We saw the aerial photos of the flooded areas on the news. That has to be so hard on homeowners! Have safe travels!
I thought it was awesome, too--but only because God gave me an awesome subject. Thanks.
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