Little Help Please

The brother of one of my good Black River Lodge friends is fighting cancer and his family is asking for help. Pam and I have donated a pasta bowl for a fund raiser that will be held on May 9th at the St Vincent DePaul Parish Hall, so bid high and help out. Here is a link to Mike O'Toole's web site.

Upcoming Election

The following is a quote from the Springfield News-Leader

family farms and small businesses could be spared with better access to affordable education and health care and broadband Internet access

To remain neutral I won't reveal the Missouri politician that said this, but my move to Springfield was prompted by two of these topics. I moved to Missouri from Iowa a quarter century ago. I loved the landscape, but was quickly surprised by the lack of services available in rural Missouri. My first summer in Reynolds County I went to the county fair and talked to a fellow that was running for state representative (he got elected). I ask him why I couldn't get Public Television in Lesterville (Iowa had it available to everyone in the state). He said I was wrong, that the public owned the airwaves and that there was a television signal that made it to Lesterville. This guy was from rural Missouri and had never heard of PBS or NPR. I rest my case.

Modern Life

Here's something you would never see in Lesterville

Quake

Haven't heard from any of my sources if anyone in the Lesterville area felt the quake. In the 24 years I lived there I felt two, or more accurately I heard two. Kitchen cabinet doors banging and that type of thing. The thing I found most interesting is the first two people to check this blog early this morning were from www.ferc.gov. You would think they would call Ameren directly and ask if the quake did any damage on Proffitt Mt.

How Much Water

This is a picture of Table Rock dam at the height of its water release after the recent rains. So consider this, when the Taum Sauk reservoir failed there was four times as much water heading down the mountain on that December morning.

State Park Advisory Board

The State Park Advisory Board will meet on Friday to discuss the Shut-Ins and Katy Trail.

Just Like Old Times

Two Black River Lodgers stopped by our new home yesterday for lunch. Bob and Mary Beth Stith from the first week in August paid us a visit. They are among the many from BRL that visited the pottery from the first summer in 1984 till we closed last year. Bob was like our personal tour guide. If he met someone new to the area he put them in his van and drove them down to the pottery. So it was good to visit and relive some of the old times.

High Water

The following highways in the Lesterville area are now closed because of high water. Highway 21, Highway 221 (the old W & V), and Highway N (road to the Shut-Ins). The Black River at the East Fork bridge has gone up over 6 feet since early this morning. If you live in the area and are reading this please leave a comment with your own water report. Thanks

Anybody Seen Noah?

We've had 3 1/2" of rain here in Springfield in 48 hours and more expected this afternoon. I just checked the East Fork river gauge in Lesterville and they have had 3" this morning and more to come. Hard to remember that last July/August we were burning up in Lesterville with high temps and no rain. I have a number of plants that did not come back this spring. Can't imagine what the spring camping season in like in Lesterville this year.

Just talked to Bonnie Hendrickson and she said that she was flooded in and that Peola Creek was higher than its been in many years.

Where's the Rogaine?

Those of you that have stood behind me while I made a pot on the wheel in Peola Valley will probably recognize my balding head.

Too Many Catalogs

When you live in the country for 24 years and order a lot by mail you are going to get a lot of catalogs. Then we had the task of changing addresses. Well I just discovered a great online service. Its called Catalog Choice, and they say that they will stop the catalogs. Pam and I try to do our part when it comes to recycling. Springfield has a great recycle program and we head to the recycle center every two weeks with cardboard, glass, plastic, and lots of catalogs. So if you are like me and get overwhelmed with catalogs give this service a try. Remember its not just saving paper but all the energy that it takes to print and ship these to your house.

Bad Weather

When my father was alive my folks lived a few blocks from this station near Jackson, Mississippi. My brothers father-in-law still lives near this corner. Looks like five tornadoes hit the Jackson area on Thursday. My folks moved to Jackson right after I graduated from high school (59) so I never considered it home, but I spent all my adult life visiting, so many of the places that I know well were in the storms path. Think we are all ready for some calm weather.

This photo is from the Clarion-Ledger.

Information Please

I know that a number of Reynolds County residents read this blog. The Reynolds County Educational Enrichment Fund is in the process of finding the most critical needs for education in the county. If you would please take the time and send me an email with your thoughts on what could be done to best "enrich" the educational opportunities for all the people in the county I will pass this on to the Grants Committee. Second, I would ask that you contact at least two of your friends and ask them to send an email as well. We have a unique opportunity with the $3 million from the Ameren/State settlement. I would hope that we spend it wisely and slowly and get the best bang for the buck. So please give this some thought and contact me at the following address.

peolavalley(at)yahoo(dot)com

Report from Lesterville II

Pam and I made a quick trip back to Lesterville so I could attend the board meeting of the Reynolds County Educational Enrichment Fund. The main thing to tell you is that we saw two large trees down at BRL. The ground is so wet that with the storm on Monday they just blew over. At our home we also had a large pine tree that was down, but no damage to our house. The creek was up and with more rain in the forecast we headed back west after my meeting, spending the night in Salem.