Flood #4

My post is late this week. I spent yesterday, when I would normally have written my post, on the phone with Geek Squad trying to figure out why none of my Windows devices could connect to the Internet. The Macs and my Android phone were fine. Thus, I did not suspect the router. The problem started late last week. I tried forgetting and adding back, uninstalling and reinstalling. Still the IP address was not valid. So frustrating! My leading hypothesis was that something had gotten screwed up in the last update, which was a real problem because I could not get any subsequent updates that might fix it because I couldn’t connect to the internet!

After four days of waiting for the problem to magically fix itself, I called Geek Squad after supper last night. It was about 6:45. The young man told me that the estimated time for a fix was 65 minutes, and he couldn’t promise success. I needed to be aware that a home visit might be necessary. He too was perplexed that uninstalling and reinstalling didn’t do it.

I got Hilda’s computer hooked up for remote access so a technician could check the settings on the router. The first guy said I could hang up and leave the computer; the technician would call when he/she needed me back on deck.

I went down and started crushing raspberries. Terry had picked that day, and with all the rain, I knew the berries were at risk for mold. Kim and Kate had so much fun making jam that they’d like to do it again. I made 5 cups of puree and put it in the freezer, ready to go as soon as we find a date when everyone can make it.
Just about the time I was covered in raspberry juice, Geek Squad called back. I raced back upstairs. The technician recommended unplugging the router and the other box where the phone and internet signal comes into the house. This was not as fast as it sounds. I had to crawl under the desk with a flashlight and read model number on the box receiving the signal, which was much too small for a person my age. The technician looked up the user manual so he could determine how many lights should be blinking or not blinking. Answer: one light, blinking. He told me to plug in the router. I turned on my desktop computer across the hall, and by golly, it had internet. The tech explained that the router had been sending out incorrect IP addresses, but only for the Windows computers. I don’t claim to understand that. It was fixed-that was all that mattered. By the time I finished with the raspberries and got the kitchen cleaned up, it was WAY past bedtime—almost 9:00!

All the rain. It POURED Friday night. On Saturday morning, this is what the rain gauge looked like:

Saturday morning: 3.5" of rain

We have had 5.8” of rain in October, and it’s only the 9^th. Here are some pictures of Flood #4:

The fifth oak

The solar panels and garden shed

Note that the water is once again above the bottom of the garden shed door. Luckily, Hilda didn’t have time to carry out her plans to tidy up the shed and put the roll of row cover on the floor.

The maple forest is looking pretty this year. I love red maple leaves in the fall, even when I secretly suspect that the leaves are changing color because the tree is severely stressed by, as they say, “having wet feet.”

The garden underwater again and the pretty red maples by the road.

The turkeys at least had the sense to get up out of the water this time. Terry saw them fly into the fifth oak, which is the only way I knew to look for them. We could see two, although he thought maybe there might be more.

One turkey upper left, the other lower right. Look for the shape of their bald little heads

Close up of the upper turkey

And the lower turkey

One turkey was on high ground over by the grapes. Perhaps the other two were also in the tree.

The loner who did not want to shelter in the tree

The water receded pretty quickly. By afternoon, I was able to go to the garden and retrieve 5 cabbages. I made borscht with half of one along with the few pathetic beets that the deer left behind and the very last tomato. It seemed a shame to put a fresh tomato in soup, but it was developing small craters of rottenness, and I had no other plans for it.

With the remainder of the cabbage, I made 7.5 more pounds of sauerkraut. I hope it turns out. God knows what wee beasties might be on flooded cabbage. I am hoping that the good guys will outcompete them. It looks like the fermentation is proceeding as usual.

The low pressure system gave me a rainy day headache most of the weekend. I was pretty grumpy Saturday. I’m ready for the frost. I would just like to cook what I want to eat. I am tired of the desperate rush to use up whatever is about to go bad. I had already thrown out the last of the cantaloupe. It just didn’t taste right, and I was sick of eating it besides. The last thing I did Saturday was go through the refrigerators and mulch everything that was wrinkly, moldy, or just unappealing. It was cathartic.

Next weekend—apples.