I asked for a little rain...

and got a wonderful rain by early am on the 12th!
I commented on FB that my plants were happy.  Even though it was still raining a bit I went around and checked on everything in the yard.
I was still so giddy about the cats! One had grown to the next instar stage. I found more eggs.  Plants were sucking up the rain. I was just starting to feed the birds, when I had a close encounter with:

a dragonfly

Some areas got storms and unfortunately there was a church struck by lightening, which then caught on fire. Our fire company was due on third alarm so, already with camera in hand, I headed to the car.  Where this guy was sitting:

Any other time a mourning dove would scatter as soon as I walked towards it.  But this one sat there. I didn't want to startle it, so I took one step at a time, while telling it I needed my car.  He left, finally. 
Heading out to the call, which was not in our usual area, I made a wrong turn. As I traveled I saw a blue heron, then a flock of turkey. I said if I didn't find this place soon, I was going to go back and just take wildlife photos!  But I did fine the fire and spent the morning and into the early afternoon out there with our crew.

I headed home to work on the photos and it started to rain again. I could hear it was heavy but I didn't think anything of it. Rain is good, right?  At one point there was lightning followed by a ground jolting clap of thunder.  the flash seemed to go right through my kitchen.  Since the morning fire was caused by a lightening strike, I looked out the window to see what was struck, if anything, and burning. All was clear.  Just rain.

Ten minutes later a neighbor is pounding repeatedly on one of my back windows. He kept yelling "Tina, you've got to see this!"  First I tried to ignore him...he's a bit nuts. But I was concerned he would break my window. So I looked out to a stunning sight.  Everything was flooding! The only time I'd seen anything similar was the year Hurricane Ivan came calling.  But this was different and a little worse in some ways.

I opened up the front door to find the stream no longer a calm serene flowing stream, but a raging river, covering my yard, a couple of my steps.  My car had all kinds of stuff from the porch jammed under and beside it.  The water was close to the bottom of the door.  Of course my boots were inside the car.  I was temporarily stuck in the house.

My bird feeder had been toppled.  I watched as bird after bird came to land on the feeder, only to realize as they are ready to land, that it's not there. They would do this back peddling maneuver with their wings! 

then I had another terrible thought as I looked down towards the end of the yard.  All my cats! The swamp butterfly weed looked like it had been swamped by water.  I think that's what was the worst sight for me, after worrying my car was going to be damaged.

I noticed that all the small animal homes outdoors were flooded and blocked by debris.  I wondered if the meadow voles  and "Little Dude" the groundhog survived the fast moving flood. All their homes were under water and covered with debris. 
There were a very small fish flopping in the parks driveway.  I picked it up and ran to the creek, slogging through water and mud, all the while yelling, hang on little guy I'll save you! hahaha I thought it was funny, but no one else was laughing.

I was finding my potted plants... unpotted.

 

I was throwing them in any pot I could find.  some pots are still missing. I'd been getting ready for a yard party, so was missing newly purchased tiki torches. And a large unopened bag of mulch disappeared. There were small twigs, large logs and anything in between all over, mixed in with the mud, silt, sand. Dead leaves and vines wrapped around the lawn furniture and all the plants. 

And there were dozens and dozens of crayfish. We threw back as much as we could.

We found this guy hanging on to my neighbors skirting. Imagine what he was thinking! Sitting somewhere private and dark, minding his own business and sudddenly he's out in the open, in a different place with giants looking at him!

Here he is covered in bits of debris.

Where plants were well rooted, the water washed around them, created holes next to them.  I've lost a young butterfly bush. It may still be where I planted it, just buried.  My castor bean plants had been as tall and taller then I am. But the water dumped so much sand silt and rocks, that I now tower over the plants! Here I am looking down at one of them!

My pawpaw trees were spared! Yay!  But again, the bottom section of those, the swampweed, yarrow, lavendar and iris, are partially buried.  I'm not sure if the iris will survive. I had plans of digging some of it up to give to my boss this fall.  I'm already tired of trying to dig through everything so I don't know if this will happen!  (sorry boss!)

Luckily I'd just tied up some of my swamp butterfly weed, and that kept some of it from totally toppling over into the water.  I found one good sized cat, and 2 small ones. I was starting to feel hopeful.  Add to it that the monarch was back in the yard this morning .. and perhaps will lay more eggs.  Each inspection of the plant has shown a few more cats still there!
I've lost a few plants, and some may still succumb to the stress and debris wrapped around them. Fortunately no damage to the home, other then the constant tracking in of mud and sand.  Lots of shoveling of mud, and raking the gritty mass that lays over the ground.  I don't have to worry about cutting the grass for awhile.

As for the small critters - I've seen at least one meadow vole, a big groundhog and my favorite groundhog, "Little Dude".   Amazing how these creatures survive such catastophes!

Today is bloom day. Later today, after a nap, I will go out and see what is blooming here in the middle of August.

For now, it's nap time. Some repairs to work on, and anxious to check on the cats once again!