Let's visit on the Porch II (Billings, Bozeman: waste, 2014, home)

[Reziac]

The Gallatin River has been high since January... over its banks a couple times already. Yeah, I think we're in for an Interesting spring.

Row, row, row your house, gently down the stream....

[MTSilvertip]

Pretty soggy around here too....
Lewis & Clark County flooding update | KXLH.com

The city made one pass through to plow my street when we had 2 feet of snow, and that berm was holding back all that water last night when I got home, the water was nearly level with the top of the berm.

It has been in the high 40's here and down to mid 30s at night, so if we get a couple more days like this it should really mitigate a larger flood later on.

[Reziac]

Walked down the road to view the new lake last night... what used to be about 200 feet of road had a foot of water over it and since it was still getting traffic, was rapidly turning to mush (it's the main drag for the whole east side of Pizzy Pines). Someone had shoved a blade against the lip the road grader makes but hadn't bothered to step over the fence and finish making the drain, so the water wasn't going anywhere. So I whacked the blockage a couple times with my boot and now most of the water is in yonder field instead. Which had about as much use for more water as the road did, but at least it's not blocking traffic.

[ElkHunter]

I went out and made a run, to check things out. From where I live, on the West side of town, to the East side of town, there is 4 ft of difference in the height of the River. I found two places where the water is blocked with ice dams. When these bust loose, water is going to move quickly.


The big one, which is located about 250 yards, downstream from me.




The minor one, located about a half mile, downstream from me.

[Threerun]

A small group of us filled and stacked about 200 sandbags for an elderly couple in central Helena valley this evening.

Lot's of melt, ponding and general muck.

[ElkHunter]

The big ice jamb, in the first picture, cut loose about 1:30 this afternoon. The water level at my place went down 2.5 feet in less than 20 minutes. The big one busting loose took out the little one, down stream.

I talked to the Met out of Billings this afternoon and he fully expects things to slow down some, in my area. A little cooler nights up on top should slow down the melt.

In past years, the melt on top would hit my place about 7am. So about 4am, the water would start rising slowly, and then top out at 7 (some times over the banks) and then slowly go down again. When it was really nasty and flooded here, I had a foot of water at the bottom of my steps for 6 weeks. The last couple weeks of that, it would flood in the morning, and then be soggy everywhere all day until about 7pm and then dry up just enough that you wouldn't loose your boots getting to a vehicle. Then come morning it would all start over. That year, we filled over 500 sandbags on this property alone (3 acres). But we have one property line is a creek and the other property line is the river, so I guess you almost have to expect it.

FEMA kicked in big bucks and furnished money for sandbags and sand. They also gave the county a apparatus that you filled with sand and then below the hopper it had 5 shutes with big gates on them. Each one was used to fill sand bags. So with 5 people filling, and a chain of about 5 people behind each person filling, you could put together several pallets of sandbags (50 lb) pretty quick.

[Threerun]

We were using 8" PVC pipes with handles on them and filling the bags. Worked pretty well for 4 of us.

[Reziac]

Walked down and shoveled out my road drain again today (I'm wonderin' why the person who uses the road 3x a month is doin' it, instead of one of the 30 or so folks who use it every day). The lake was down to a pond but still about 8" deep, and still coming in from the other side of the road. County left us a FLOODED sign, like you couldn't tell given the flooded part was about two feet past the sign. I guess it's for people who think their cars can walk on water.

[MaBonnema]

Hi everyone.. just wanted to update ya'll on a few things.
Went and had the mammogram done. They still couldnt get a real good look because of where the lump is located so they decided to do an ultrasound... that hurt worse than the mammogram!! She does the ultrasound and leaves the room, comes back and says sorry honey but they want me to do the right one also...leaves room and comes back again and says sorry but they want me to do the right one again.. (I went in to have the left one checked)...
Okay.. got that done. Get letter in mail saying that I have suspicious lumps in both breasts and I needed to see a surgeon for either a needle biopsy or MRI or both. Until such time they will consider the lumps as possibly malignant until biopsy proves otherwise. I see a surgeon on the 17th and maybe he will do the needle biopsy then.
Other than that.. things are going ok. Good news... Our landlord asked us if we would be interested in moving into another trailer. He is giving us a good deal. It is also a 2bdrm 2 bath... but it is on 1/2 acre private fenced lot with a big front porch with awning and the place has a dishwasher. And the rent is 100 dollars cheaper. He says since we are good tenants and we take care of things he wants to put us in that trailer. The previous tenants were NASTY!! trashed the place and stole the hot water heater out of it. He has his crew making repairs and putting in carpet and tile. Hopefully in the next month or so we will be moving again.. dont plan to go anywhere else for a while.
I can have a garden!!!! and not have to worry about noisy kids or kids stealing my things or stray dogs..
I can sit on the front porch and enjoy my coffee and paint or draw or sit out and watch & listen to the rain as it hits on the metal awning :P... will take pics later.

Well, like I said.. things are going okay for us. Can only take things one day at a time and pray for the best. right?
I wish ya'll could be here to enjoy some of this nice 70+ degree weather we are having. :P
Stay warm and dry and stay safe. Hope to catch ya'll later.

[ElkHunter]

Snow be a melting.

It's almost midnight and we have a stiff breeze and the temp is 56 degrees. Snow won't stay long at this rate. Remember NOAA Met telling me that the melt was going to slow down with cooler temps???? Me thinks his dart is bent.