We have had two days of violent thunder and electrical storms here on the gulf coast. Nothing unusual about that. But, yesterday it knocked out power to over 5000 people for a couple of hours. You look at that and say, so what. It’s 90+ temps and 70-80% humidity outside. It’s tough for a lot of people to take, especially the elderly and young. We have gone a couple of weeks with little or no rain. Now, it’s coming in buckets. It seems just two years ago farmer were desperate for rain. Now, it has stunted growth of the valuable soybean crop. Farmers are in big trouble all across the nation. Those high food prices at the supermarket are only going to go higher.

It’s really tough to complain about weather when you see what is happening out in the Mid-West. Flood warnings are posted in Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Oklahoma and Montana. That’s a lot of territory. They are saying it is record flooding. That is something to ponder when you recall the Great ’93 Flood that moved entire towns from their foundations, coffins floating down the Mississippi River. It was called the 500 year flood at the time. I’m curious what they will call this one. Unfortunately, more storms are on tap for the Ohio Valley, Wisconsin and the Southern Plains and in Kentucky as well. Sandbags and volunteers are being called out to help against rising flood waters in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, Iowa last night and today. The Cedar River had been expected to top the Cedar Falls levee last night and deluge the downtown area of the city of 35,000 people some 88 miles northeast of Des Moines. However, there are signs the sandbags are holding. That was the case in ’93 also before flood waters overcame entire towns.

Suddenly, those leaks around my chimney seem so very insignificant now. God Bless these people as they fight these raging flood waters.