The Swarm And The Ab-Norm

Yesterday, I took The Pony's box of Easter treats to the main post office. It takes an extra day for packages to reach him. Besides, I didn't have labels, and I didn't want the packages to get mixed up. And they're heavy. No way was I going to stand in line holding TWO of those boxes.

Today I left in a downpour. I was hoping the creeks didn't overflow before I could get to the post office. They didn't. But we had flash flood warnings. The main post office has parking under a roof. I was happy to see only one other car parked there when I arrived. I grabbed the label that I had asked for yesterday, and filled out this morning. I figured I'd let the mail counter-man put it on the box, since that's kind of his job, and he might have some insider tricks. As it was, he didn't put it in the printed area for the label, but right in the middle of the box. So maybe he DOES know something!

Anyhoo...I slid out of T-Hoe, and turned to get the package off the back seat. Sweet Gummi Mary! It was as if a SWAT team had arrived, intent on flushing out a fugitive. That parking area went from T-Hoe and one other vehicle to SEVEN cars in the blink of an eye. I don't know where those other five people came from, but they were all business, jumping out and striding purposefully in the door, while I juggled that box and T-Hoe's clicker to lock him up.

The original customer came out as I went in. Didn't hold the door for me, though. Don't mind me. I'm just an old woman with an awkward box. The lady who'd parked next to me was busy blocking the slot for outgoing mail. I did a Stretch Armstrong move to finagle my credit card payment envelope into the opening. She was busy letting her young son open their post office box. But at least she had the manners to excuse herself when she saw that she was blocking my bill-paying efforts.

An old lady was at the tall table in the counter-area, fiddling around with a label or envelopes. I passed by her, because she was not staking her spot in line. Some guy got done and was on the way out. Stamps, maybe. Then a lady, who had virtually rushed in like the old O J Simpson through an airport, plopped a package and a manilla envelope on the counter. Great. Somebody mailing packages. I'm sure nobody behind ME in line has ever thought that...

Directly in front of me was an old lady holding a gift bag. Which was later revealed to hold a paper-sack-wrapped box that she was mailing the cheapest way possible. Her words. Then the lady who'd been at the high table joined her, reminding her to get stamps. She paid with a debit card. Then me. And a guy behind me also with a box. I've never seen so many people mailing packages. Maybe they all have adult kids who need Easter boxes.

Anyhoo...Genius's package was man-handled by the counter guy (heh, heh) and set on its side with much shifting and rattling of contents. I paid cash and hit the road. Made it over the creeks before flooding. I DID notice that the little low-water bridge leading up the hill to HOS's house had muddy water flowing over it. Maybe a few inches, nothing impassable yet.

Here's the strange part. The little low-water bridge leading up the hill to the Mansion is right there. A fork off that road to HOS's. With its own little creek that flows into the other one. THAT CREEK WAS BONE DRY! I've never seen this combination.

Normally, when one of those little bridges goes under, they both do. Sure, the part on the Mansion road is a wet-weather creek. And this was certainly WET weather. It had been raining all night. The yard was full of puddles. The bigger creeks, and the river, were rising. Yet this one was bone dry as far as I could see up into the woods.

I guess maybe a tree limb fell across it upstream. Or maybe the beavers have been dam-building already. Probably, whatever is blocking it will give way overnight, and a wall of water will come rushing across. That's what a flash flood is, I guess.

The Mansion is high and dry, as is HOS's house, so it makes me no nevermind. As long as Farmer H makes it home from yet another auction that his buddy called him to attend.