Storm Damage...

From Jim: We've had some pretty nasty weather here lately. Winds over 50 mph and rain in heavy sheets-real downpours. After awhile, it takes a toll. The upper barn, including the tack room and feed room, is completely flooded. Water runs in the back door and out the front. There's about 4 or 5 inches of standing water in the inside stalls. It will take some work to get that straightened out. The T-posts have sagged and tipped on some of the fencing. The ground is saturated to more than 18 inches deep. The roads have started looking like drainage ditches. We live in the Feather River canyon, near Lake Oroville. The canyon funnels and concentrates the storm clouds and highway 70 drains 10's of thousands of gallons of water down our driveway. It makes for flood potential, and we got it this March. We needed the rain and the summer and next fall will be better for having had it, but right now it's a mess. I'll need to apologize to the tractor for what's coming as the clean-up gets underway. I'm pretty sure the sanctuary will be closed to visitors for the next few months while we get repairs taken care of. Some of our young volunteers will have a very limited experience until I can make certain that they will be safe during their visits. This is not the first time we've had flood damage, but it might the worst we've had. One of the frustrating things about it is that you really can't get to work until the rains slow down and the ground firms up a little. The tractor can't do much with liquid dirt. Eating soup with a fork comes to mind. Anyway, give us a thought as spring develops. We'll be digging out and fixing stuff.