The flooding of the lower acreage is passé. We expect it when we have many days of rain. We have had MANY days of CONSTANT rain.

Here is what the field looked like on Saturday. Notice that field fence by the canoe? That is the fencing Michael and I replaced in December. It sits on top of a type of dyke. There isn’t any land to distinguish where our year round pond sits.

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Take note of where the canoe is. It plays a part in my story.

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This flooding is more expansive than previous times that we have experienced. The grassy knoll isn’t completely covered but more so than in the past.

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Is there something more interesting to this story? Yes. It involves the boys and the canoe. Joshua wanted to get to the canoe and decided that a plastic tote would work as a make shift flotation device. It capsized. Into the water he went.

All was fine. He eventually got to the canoe and the boys, including their friend Dylan, went paddling around the Great Lake of Salt Creek Farm.

I had seen the boys paddling so I knew where they were. I was on the computer reading a bunch of material that I needed to have read before fruit tree pruning class on Sunday. Suddenly I hear screaming as well as Michael yelling. Freaking out, I ran to the back deck and see Nicholas in the water and the canoe a significant distance from him. Michael twice asked Nicholas if he was OK. No answer so I (panicking) yell, “If he can’t respond he is in trouble.” Then I tear off through the house and out to the shore closest to Nicholas. Michael is already, fully dressed, swimming out to him.

When I reached the shore I see that Dylan is in the canoe and Joshua is in the water hanging on to the canoe and trying to steer it towards Nicholas. Nicholas, thankfully, had flipped over onto his back and was trying to rest a bit. His pants, long sleeve shirt and thick sweat shirt had made it harder to swim than he was used to.

They made it to shore safely. Floating on his back, Nicholas was able to kick to the shore with Michael next to him in case he needed assistance.

My boys were safe. Now the questions began. Apparently there was a wager for $10 that my boys could swim to the shore from the halfway point between the grassy knoll and the opposite shore. There has been A LOT of discussion about this whole situation.

God was keeping my guys safe.

And that is a little bit of our life with boys here on the farm.

Stay dry,

Karen