ADDENDUM TO WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE - TODAY'S POST



Bull Shoal Dam during the 2008 flooding
This photo was taken much earlier in the spring
than this year's flooding. I can ell by the leaves,
or lack thereof, of the trees and shrubs.
(photo by myself)



At 10 p.m. last night the 17 spillway gates of Bull Shoals Lake Dam were opened to 2.25 feet , setting yet another record. The release rate now is equivalent to about 20 generators.

The Corp of Engineers is trying to equalize the level of water flowing in, to the level of water being released. I call it the ole I/O (input vs. output) theory, an acronym used in many circles, medical, digital, electrical, etc.

The local newspaper link advises all persons in the path of the White River from Bull Shoals Dam to the Mississippi River, be aware and protect themselves from the dangers of swift flowing, rising water.

Water, Water Everywhere

"Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink."

-- Rime of the Ancient Mariner- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The boards are somewhat shrinking , but there is such a thing as water rot, where the boards become useless because of continual soaking water usually followed by termites.


As far as drinking water, all nature should be water-logged. Drinking water however is a premium when entire communities are devastated by nature. 


However, on a more serious note, the unusually severe Spring, allegedly caused by La Nina, a warming of the south Pacific Ocean, has imposed misery, heartache, devastation and death on 100s, in statistics not seen since 1974 according some weather experts.


Despite the dire forecasts, the tornado activity in my neck of the woods has been nothing compared to Joplin MO, or Birmingham AL. Franklin County and a small city of Denning, near Little Rock weres supposedly wiped off the map last night, but compared to the larger disasters, like Birmingham and Joplin, it has received little publicity. Yet that small city of approximately 200 have the same level of individual misery, devastation and heartache as the big cities.


I was in Little Rock about three weeks ago. Conway, about 40 miles east of LR had a tornado passed near its city limits, hopped over I-40 and landed near Vilonia, another small AR city, causing death and destruction. I wrote of the LR being under a warning for a few hours; a tornado did damage around the airport.

Now this was three weeks ago. Every creek, stream, river and lake was overflowing. The rice fields near Conway are lakes. The crop is gone. Did you know that Arkansas provides nearlyrd 50% of all the rice sold in the USA? Not this year. And I heard the cotton crop is down the Mississippi River, too.

I say this to warn those bloggers who live downstream from any tributary that may drain into the White River as it winds from Bull Shoals Dam (BSD) to the Mississippi River, MORE WATER IS HEADED your way. All 17 gates of BSD have been opened for the 3 or 4th time in my 31 years living in the City of Bull Shoals.

Bull Shoals Dam with
17 spillway gates open
Straight Out of the Camera
by NitWit1
(Normally I would crop
left side a tad.)

These gates are opened at, or exceeding 1.5', a record opening. And that is not nearly WIDE open! Listen to the ROAR of this much water in  the video below. Persons living below the dam hear it day and night.

Lake Sequoyah Dam (AR) is the first of several dams that empty into a chain of lakes, which release water in succession to Bull Shoals Lake, the largest lake with capacity to handle cumulative releases. The other lakes are Beaver Lake (AR), Table Rock Lake (MO), Lake Taneycomo (MO).

This week Beaver and Table Rock and Taneycomo Lakes had all their gates open, the water of which ultimately ending in Bull Shoals Lake reservoir. Flood pool was nearing quickly and more rain expected. The US Army Corp of Engineers, knowing the flooding downstream, held off as long as possible. At first, only 5 gates were opened, but the water kept rising....and rising.

Of course this water ultimately creates misery not only all the way to the Mississippi River, but then to the Gulf Coast where Louisiana and Alabama have had more than their share of weather-related misery for several years.

Before you think areas around these lakes are safe from their own misery...think again. There are recreational and service industries built around these lakes. High water has decimated this industry for two of the last three years. Many have been on the verge of bankruptcy. Almost all are for sale, even if a sign is not on the property. The smaller communities built around these lakes have lost businesses related to tourism and retirement. Bull Shoals looks somewhat like a ghost town and we are not the worst. High water is dangerous to tourists who do not know the navigation hazards.

One area I visited today has a whole recreation area under water like canopy concrete picnic tables. A week ago the top of the canopies were still out of the water---not today. Image a bass boat at any speed, running over these canopies and tables! Goodbye lower unit of expensive motor, but more disastrous, a capsized bass boat!

This is just a small area in a small state. Consider and multiply the economic losses in Oklahoma, Texas (which also has a drought with wildfire, too), Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina, just to name a few.

Talk about a double dip depression! And you can't blame Mother Nature's capriciousness on any President, neither Obama nor Bush. We somehow must regain our national pride of helping and empathizing with each other like I remember my parents and many, many others had in the WWII years.

I never heard them gripe about rationing and what they did not have: instead they bought war bonds which was no more than loaning money to the government to pay for a war. And the government paid them back every penny. I can only imagine the ruckus that would arise today, if we were asked to buy war bonds, economic bonds, national debt bonds, or our major food products were rationed. From the number on the scales, I should have sugar, one of the WWII commodities, rationed  permanently, like one cup per year!

Remember victory gardens and sharing produce?

We must care for and love one another; and a few prayers won't hurt, either!

Which brings this epic monologue nearly to conclusion. Here is another of my favorite verses from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

"He who loveth best, prayeth best; 

All things great and small;

For the dear God who loveth us;

He made and loveth all."

--Rime of the Ancient Mariner -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

[PHOTOS/VIDEOS by myself-first video attempt with CanonAS1000IS -may not play-it is supposedly with the sound of the roaring water out of  17 gates]

[May 31 and June14 I will be having cataract surgery. Last week and this week have been engaged in checking drug interactions, etc. When you are elderly and have multiple ailments with multiple medications, nothing is simple. But I have been cleared to do what is needed to be done. Now, IF I can just get the 5 different eye drops in as prescribed, it will be a small miracle; two are for glaucoma, 3 for the surgery.]

HAUNTING AND CLOCKS

Here is a link to an earlier post about the 'haunted clock,' which I have mentioned in two previous posts:The Haunted Clock.

My Parents' Sessions Clock
Photo courtesy of my Niece
who now owns it. Not haunted
to my knowledge.

Be sure to read the link as I tell you of other clocks in my life. We both loved old clocks. I earlier referred to a Sessions Mantle Clock in my family that sat on the fireplace mantle our home.

The mantel clock was black and was an anniversary gift of our parents early in their marriage. It counted hours and sounded once on the half hour. I was fascinated it needed two different keys to wound the spring mechanisms for the clock; and the sounding mechanism also was not very melodicl.

As my siblings and I became dating age, it became THE CLOCK that measured curfew which was 1o p.m., except Saturday night which was 11 p.m.

For a number of years after mother died it resided with us, and I tended to its winding .

Recently we returned it to my parents' first granddaughter; last I heard she said she never wound it as it would be too spooky to hear, since her grandpaents both were gone. My sister adamantly said she did not want it--too many times Mother was sitting looking at that clock, when she missed curfew.

Have you heard the saying "Pride goes before a fall?" Well it is a corruption of Holy Scripture, Proverbs 16:18: Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. I prefer a lesser known (to me) translation on the same link called God's Word (1995): Pride precedes a disaster, and an arrogant attitude precedes a fall.

Similar Anniversary Clock
Internet Photo

On one of my parents' anniversary celebrations, I purchased what was called an anniversary clock, which had a glass dome and pendulum device. It was supposed to run an entire year. I was exceedingly proud of my selection, and perhaps a tad arrogant because I was in a position to purchase more expensive gifts than my siblings at this period in time.

I wound it up and it started its spinning of a pendulum-like device with four gold balls mounted on a cross like base. I left for parts unknown, i.e., I don't remember where I lived at this moment in time. Soon I heard the clock stopped long before a year passed. Since I, nor they, could find anyone who repaired them, it sat and gathered dust in their home until Mother died, a sad statement of my pride.

I took the anniversary clock to Arkansas but never found a repair person. It sat a long time and during a remodeling frenzy the dome was broken by a swing of a 2" x 4' board; later the pendulum wire broke while moving it.

There was a Cuckoo Clock I gave my parents one year. It ran very briefly. I'm glad. as I was living for a brief time in my parents' home. I probably would have taken my rifle and shot the those stupid birds. They are bad birds who steal other birds' nests for themselves, I've been told. [This was during a period of time I had a Savage Target Rifle and was pretty good target distance shooter in a local rifle club.]

Antique Gibraltar
Electric Clock

Then there was the wall Gibraltar Electric clock we siblings used to leave the house for our 2-block walk to elementary school, then called South Ward, after the school district division of the town. It was a sales premium given Dad by some salesman. I found it in disrepair with a frayed electric cord and rescued it.

I repainted the clock nth time to its original light green and later it became a blue with ivory trim. It hangs over our coffee bar today. I replaced the mechanism with another electric mechanism. The oval clear glass front cover is all that is missing. I think it broke in moving from Texas to Arkansas, or it may have accidentally fallen, when we had to reset the time.

Enamel Navy Blue Plate Clock
Designed by  Me

I also crafted a kitchen wall clock out of a dark Navy blue enamel white spackled plate. It matches the draw pulls and knobs plus two pieces of enamel white spackled cooking utensils. Our mothers used the large roasters for turkeys, and many camping utensils were made of similar materials.

Enamel Navy Blue  Knobs
On Our Kitchen Cabinets

Our Kitchen Cabinets with Navy
Blue Enamel Spackled Cookware

Finally, we have a lovely European antique clock given us by our military sponsors. When Navy personnel (perhaps other military branches, too) transfer to an overseas station, they are welcomed by a couple who help them adjust to living in a foreign land. 

European Antique
Wall Clock (gift)

Our couple became friends with us, and when they transferred back to US, they gave us this lovely gift of friendship. This clock hangs in our living room; it has a melodic tone and announces the hour and half-hour.

Since it has always been mounted much higher on a wall, than my 4'10" height and arms can conveniently reach to wind without climbing on stool or ladder), my husband tends to this dependable clock.

And HE will always wind it as long as he lives. After all, we received it mainly because of his military service tour-of-duty assignment; therefore I sense it may have a prejudicial haunt waiting for me to touch it...NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!

[ All photos mine except black mantel clock  is courtesy of my oldest Niece who now possesses it; the anniversary clock which is a Internet photo. Apologies for flash burn, but unable to put in light tent as these clocks are all beyond my normal reach without a ladder or stool, which I am supposed to avoid.]