Water, water everywhere

Now on the third day, the Lord looked over the land He had created and pronounced it "GOOD". Well, maybe it wasn't the third day but actually it was Sunday after church when Grannie Annie and I toured the city to see the results of the rapidly arriving six-inch rain (my gauge showed 5.9 inches) the night before.

Typical of Nebraska strong winds accompanying a thunderstorm the storm left in its wake plenty of leaves and detritus on the lawns. Small branches were broken off but no evidence of major damage. We were particularly curious as to the behavior of Kelly Creek and were well pleased to observe the strong but controlled muddy colored stream running through the width of the City. In my childhood every time it rained with gusto Kelly Creek overflowed its banks leaving a muddy mess behind. Now that is all behind and the canyon can be well manicured with a splendid concrete walking trail paralleling the pleasant stream.

Thank you to our city fathers who saw the problem and in cooperation with the U.S. Soil Conversation Service constructed a large surge dam just outside the western city limits. The dam collects a fair sized pond in the surge after a big rain and then meters it out down the natural watercourse that we know and now love as Kelly Creek. Well done by persons of vision. We can all thankfully enjoy the fruits of their labor and the tax dollars spent on a worthwhile project.

Another project nearing completion is parking at Community Hospital. The new surfaces will more safely keep parking off busy H street. Of particular interest was the paving of the street just north of the Hospital running up the hill from East 11th. I was commissioner when that street was first paved several years ago, evidently, money was a tad short so I gave the Hospital permission to just dump their storm-drain water into the north ditch until they could find a better solution. That time evidently arrived as now the storm drain runs into a large diameter below surface tube down to and around the corner on the east side of E. 11th. All is newly paved over with concrete so is attractive as well as functional. Good job.

About the city on my way to the airport I had to tickle. A young lady was walking her dog on a leash. Well, walking wasn't quite right as the pair was running at a fair clip. A well-muscled twenty's something attractive lady and a medium to large size dog. Only the lady was running along the edge of the street and her dog was pulling hard to the side on his extended leash so he could pad through a half block long series of underground lawn sprinklers raining full blast. Mankind and dogs a match made in heaven so long ago.

The same time McCook was receiving a large dose of rain Saturday the community of Lexana, Kansas some 75 miles southeast was having a goose drowner. They received somewhere varying reports of around six to twelve inches. It was enough to claim at least one casualty. A fifty some year old man in his pickup drove into water deep enough to float his vehicle and sweep it off the road. Reportedly he was unable to escape drowning in the rapid stream.

This morning I happened to be in that area teaching a student to fly a twin-engine airplane. We were at altitude above the Solomon River where it runs past Lenora and empties into Kirwin Reservoir. To observe we descended to a low (legal) altitude and followed the course of the Solomon down past Logan and on to where it empties into Kirwin. For sure the river was well out of its banks even running just below the bridge deck on Hiway 183. Several farmsteads were isolated but none really flooded even though cow lots and some appurtenant structures were under water. Most roads running north-south crossing the river had water running over them. The muddy water running into the Kirwin Reservoir made a sharp color contrast with the more clear blue water long settled in that lake. It made me wonder if that junction of the different colored waters might have been a great place to fish. Back to training.

Tonight is the final hearing of the City of McCook's budget for next year. It will be interesting to see if the council members hold the city staff's feet to the fire and make them live within the projected stream of revenue. I intend to be there and it would be nice to have a large crowd of taxpayers not interested in forever paying more, more, more, property taxes.

That is the way I saw it.

Dick Trail