"Cold Creek"

There has been an addition to our home, made the last couple of days, "Cold Creek".

We are experiencing what may be the biggest storms in history here the last couple of days, and it's not over yet. We were warned that it was coming, but I never realized it would be like this. I thought I left that all behind in California.
When the heavy rains began in a very short time and just the start of three storms that were to closely follow each other with the last two to be double or more than what the first was, I got really worried. The first storm stopped just about 2 feet from my back door inside the patio area. Most of it stayed there during the few hours break in the storm. I realized that when the next storm arrived, it would come in the house.

I begin calling family and friends for help. One of the members of our Family Night group, Neal Short came early the next morning and cleaned out the rain gutters for me, so the water would be directed away from the corner that was so deep already. He was so sweet to come.

In the after noon my son-in-law Steve and Home Teach Bro. Roundy arrived and started a ditch so the water had a direction where to drain between the two buildings. I was so please. Then late at night when the next storm started in I went out to see how things were doing. I was shocked at what I was seeing. The water was not draining, and more and more was gathering in my yard in a corner next to the patio.

I went out and tried to scoop the ditches deeper, but I didn't have a shovel, so I used an old hard broom. I worked on it for quite a while. I was drenched. I finely knew I needed help. I started calling and called Wendy and Mike's first. It was about midnight or later by now. Wendy came right over and we worked on it for some time. Wendy began to see that we were also fighting the water that was draining into my yard from the neighbors around me. So I called and found out where we could get sand bags and went to the fire station nearest me, and then blocked the sliding door to the house.

Wendy worked so hard. She was so sweet. I'm sure she didn't get home til about 6:am. After a hot shower and cup of hot ginger tea, I got into bed at 7:am.

Three hours later I was woke by the phone ringing it was my Home Teacher cheeking in to see how I was doing. I thought things were OK and was going to go right back to sleep, but thought I should let the dogs out and feed them and then go back to sleep.
When I looked out the patio door, I saw that the water was building up more and more.
So in a couple of hours my son-in-log Steve and his son Daniel came with shovels and began making the ditch much bigger, this time all the way down the side of the house to the sidewalk out front. It begin to drain the water from the back. It was beautiful. We could see the water level lowering right away.

Thanks to the help of family and good friends I now have quite a creek. The next storm began to arrive with the National Weather Service warning of heavy rains, hard winds and a warning of a Tornado. According to the weatherman on TV this was the first time they have had a Tornado warning here in Arizona.
It was a hard storm with lots of water (we have gotten just under 7 ins. here in my area) and hard winds. But, luckily no Tornado, and with my new creek, and all the wonderful hands of the Lord, the water drained really well. More storms are predicted for tomorrow and next week, but I will not worry. I now have "Cold Creek" to take care of the water and save my home.