TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE FLOODING...

Do you remember me mentioning last week that we had been having a lot of rain?  Well, because of all that rain, the waters of Yadkin Creek in Steelville, Missouri rose higher than they have in many years in the wee hours of the morning last Thursday. The waters ravaged through many of the streets in town leaving debris and destruction behind and one small mobile home park had to be evacuated...

The waters were up high enough to leave mud and debris on the porch of the dark brown building past the bridge railing, where the arrow is pointing.

and guess what?... I am taking full advantage of the situation!

Do you think I have gone MAD making that statement?

Now I know you are probably saying, "there are NO advantages to flooding". "People lose their lives or their belongings and there is much damage during flooding!"  Or, perhaps you assume that I am taking advantage of other peoples' loss, to which I assure you that I am NOT. I would NEVER do such a thing but in the case of the flooding late last week in Steelville I AM taking full advantage...advantage of the one resource that the flood waters left behind...

DRIFTWOOD...and a lot of it too!

You know I need to finish this DIY driftwood mirror I am making for the porch, right?

I thought I was going to have to wait until vacation to find more driftwood to finish it up but the unexpected flooding left me with all the driftwood I could use.

Now mind you, not all the wood left behind is true driftwood but there was plenty of the good stuff to finish my mirror.

So yesterday with Wal-mart bag (or should I say Save-a-lot bag) in hand, I started looting and scavenging the piles of brush to gather up what I needed to finish my project.

Do you think the townspeople thought I was a lunatic?  YOU KNOW IT!  But do I care?...NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT!  I have a project to finish and there is nothing too embarrassing that is going to stop me from doing just that!

So while I felt like a complete and utter idiot, I persevered and gathered a whole bag full, probably even a little more than I needed....that's okay though, if you know me, you know it won't go to waste!

Anyway, I worked on the mirror a little last night filling in some of the gaps with the new driftwood.

She should be ready for her debut next week.

Oh and just in case you think I am a looting or scavenging snob and ONLY take advantage of free driftwood; well, you couldn't be farther from the truth...I will take advantage of every free resource nature has to offer, including flowers from my favorite local roadside stands...

Queen Anne's Lace, also known as wild carrot (which is edible) be careful though that you don't get it mixed up with Poison Hemlock which will KILL you.  They look very similar.  However, Queen Anne's Lace has a hairy stem and a tiny black flower in the center but Hemlock does not.

Wild Daylily, also edible.  I have heard that it tastes like asparagus.
Never tried it myself because I'm too chicken to be a forager.

See I'm not a snob at all!!  I'll take driftwood and a whole bouquet of flowers...

They were just fine in a McDonalds cup full of water until I got home and could put them in a nice vase...

So, are we still friends or are you appalled that I would lower myself to scavenge for driftwood?...and steal flowers off the side of the road?

Please say we're still friends.

Better yet, please tell me that you have done some wild and crazy things too to get something you wanted.

Ever been dumpster diving?  Maybe we'll go together.  HAHAHA!!

Have a great weekend, friend. I'll be back next week with the reveal of my GORGEOUS driftwood mirror.  Hope to see you then!