Storm - big time!

It rained and rained and rained overnight.  But that was NOTHING.  This morning about 9 it got very dark outside.  I started to do a video to show that, and as I was filming it started to REALLY rain.  Here's the video showing the storm beginning.  Luckily I was out there on the porch at the time, because I stopped filming and put plastic over the bed and set the dog bed on there to hold it in place.  I didn't know at the time that I should have done a LOT more to protect that bed, though.   Tonight after the storm passes, I guess I'll pull everything off and throw it all in the dryer.  Hope there was enough bedding on there to at least keep the mattress itself dry!  

Here's a video I took about 10 minutes after the first one.  It started to blow like hurricane winds, making it rain all the way into the porch -- clear up to the interior wall.  The porch is 8 feet deep with an additional 2-foot overhang outside and it still POURED down rain all the way in!  Check this out! 

At that point I came inside.  Nothing more I could do out there and if I stayed I'd have been DRENCHED.  Mark had left just before the storm began to go to the feed store, but he came back after hearing that we were under a tornado warning at that point.  So I took this video out the upstairs window only about 15 minutes after the storm began.  The pond and stream in the back that normally drains the pasture WERE full after the night rain, but 20 minutes after this storm began the ENTIRE pasture was flooded.  When the rain stopped for a while, Duke walked out there and just stood looking around in amazement.  

But when it began to storm again, it took him about 10 seconds to decide to run back to his room! 

I'll tell you what, not more than 5 minutes after that, his entire paddock was under water.

Duke stood inside his "room" looking out in amazement.  (And I'm looking out of the window of my "room" watching him - equally amazed.)

But like his "mom," once he's amazed for a few minutes, that's enough -- time to go back to eating.  ;-D

The rain tapered off eventually and the winds died down so although it WAS still raining, Mark headed out for the feed store again when a parish truck pulled up.  Seems both the drainage ditch across the front of our place AND the big canal down the side are blocked somewhere and NOT draining out into the Bayou as they're supposed to.  They need cleared big time.

Glad those light posts lean OUT and not toward our fences!

The guy Mark talked to said the entire downtown area of our little town has flooded since the water can't get past our place for some reason.  He says the parish will come by and clear things shortly.  They're supposed to do that a couple times a year when it's dry, but it hasn't happened in quite a while.  But since we now have a new mayor (the old one is being prosecuted for accepting bribes - sigh) they're going to have to do it in the rain, apparently. 

This storm is definitely interfering with all the Mardi Gras plans around here, too.  All the local parades for today have been delayed until later in the day (it's supposed to clear up by 4 or 5).  But a float labeled "the Crew of Insanity" just drove by the house with everyone on it in bright yellow rain gear with a yellow porta-potty in the center of the float.  Good grief!  Wish I had had my camera handy for THAT one! 

*** Mark just called to say he's going to have to turn around and come home the long way down the River Road because Nicholson Drive is closed - power line down across it.  I'll tell you what - it is AWFUL out there!