I decided to take a little vacation for Monday, and it appears that was an OK idea. See, I keep daily punchlists of what I'd like to accomplish each day out at the lodge. For the weekends I end up with quite a list since I get more than a few post-work hours to knock off the tasks. That is, of course, unless the weather is just downright nasty. If anyone's been tracking the weather here in northeast Iowa, you'll know we're getting hit hard with flooding, damaging t-storms, and rain forcast every-single-day.
It wasn't enough to be jarred awake at 1:45 AM Friday morning by an air-raid siren outside our apt window, we had to get pummeled with horizontal rains as well. Street lights flickered, neighbors across the street went for shelter in the nearby old houses with basements, we kept our eyes on the radar and tracked the tornado warnings. This whole event tended to throw off my sleep-state for Friday...which must've spilled into Saturday too.
To keep the progress rolling, I went out to the lodge Friday after work to survey nature's wrath and cross a few items off my list before going out for celebratory drinks with Cam. Success there, though the humidity inside was downright stifling. Sat AM comes, alarm goes off, we're both up and at'em and I make a nice big breakfast. Eggs, muffins from the oven, fried up some sausage, etc. But it didn't take long for mother nature to take the steam out of the plan and soon we found ourselves stocking up on supplies at Menards. Got lots bought, ordered, and, well, carted. Cara and I even managed to load up a 4x10 sheet of drywall without damage. But the skies taunted. The kind of weather that makes you want to open up an artery. Even the Mickey D's vanilla shake could not assist. Ended up taking a nap (and I am not a nap person).
Still having a "Saturday" list, I saddled up, managed my way out to the lodge, and set to work for the evening when the temps were much more tolerable. Pulled out the table and miter saw and set to work on blocking; cut up some painted exterior plywood for clerestory treatment; even managed to get the sheetrock into place in the kitchen, fastened to the wall and recepts cut out. Course I could see the black-as-night sky headed my way from the west. Wasn't long and horizontal rain was finding all those un-fasciaded openings in the west wall. The gen was running and my meager work lamp was keeping the kitchen corner aglow while I used an LED flashlight to check the loft area for leaks. Remarkably leak-free up there but the ground below was a lake. 4 wheel drive was engaged to get me out of there.
Today's visit proved my "farm lane" had gone missing in some sections, the victim of a convenient water-way. The lines defining field and road are no more, resulting in one big, muddy, silty mess. Nevertheless, Cara joined me and we cleaned windows, sills and surrounds and deployed the screens. This is big news. Actual window screens and windex'd glass! I also cut a 14' sheet of drywall to size and she gave me a hand setting it on wall supports so I could get a few screws into it for completion tomorrow.
Speaking of erosion, the Cedar is expected to crest at record levels this week in CF. Sandbagging efforts around the Ice House are ongoing. And we discovered 20th St near the hill was doubling as a canal this morning. Both a firetruck and the Blazer were vying for pole position in the curb-deep water while onlookers...onlooked. Had to've been a strange sight. Oddly the street is bone-dry right now.
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