This week's flood didn't quite match our biggest one ever, but it came close. Over five inches during a week (half in the last twenty-four hours) is nothing to sneeze at.

The floodplain is so far underwater that it feels like one huge, still lake.

Mark was surprised that the smaller creek didn't roar as loudly as it usually does during flood times. After some reconnaissance, I figured out why --- the part of the creek closest to our core homstead is part of the lake. I had to walk a ways upstream to find flowing water.

In the process, I discovered a very heartening sight --- rocks! This small creek, for some reason, had worn itself down to bare mud over most of its length long before we moved in. The result is relentless erosion that keeps cutting the bottom of the creek deeper every year.

Not so any more, at least for the upper expanses. Rocks as big as my fist were carried down by the floodwaters and deposited in bends and pools. Maybe another big flood or two will fix the bottom of the downstream portion of the creek as well?

Anyone want to take bets on how soon the floodwaters recede sufficiently to let us bring home some fresh groceries? Good thing the freezers are still pretty full!

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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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