Every year I watch the river levels closely, especially when there are large amounts of snow or heavy rain. This year we had both. A late heavy snow storm and an entire month of rain. The rock planter out in the water is usually where our beach is, which is also covered with sand. For several weeks the planter and the beach have been under water. The sand is being washed down river and my plants are under water! This picture is the highest point the river was at this year. The river has been dropping steadily for about seven days now. I was hoping to have the beach back by the 4th of July, however run off into the reservoirs is still steady. Kent placed a post in the water so I could see just how much the water was rising, I was starting to get concerned, he marked it every three inches. From the first day he placed it in the river it rose six inches but since then it has dropped those six inches and a bit more. The big rock in the planter has since tipped over due to the many boats and waves from the 4th of July. We will be re-building or re-planting, hauling sand in and tipping the rock up soon. I HOPE!
During the fourth celebration in Rupert I ran into a past fifth grade student. He came and visited with me and told me about his summer playing on an all stars baseball team. He also told me there was a tournament in Burley. He didn't know the times but called me later that week with the time of his first game. It is awesome when your students think you are the coolest teacher ever and want you to come watch them. I went and watched him play that night and was amazed at the skill level of these young boys. They played awesome! I was glad to know he thought enough of me as his teacher to invite me to watch him play. It turned out I knew several of the boys on the team. Stormie says I must be a really good teacher because my current and past students always go out of their way to come and talk to me or say hi-she says she avoids any teachers she ever had. I hope my impact on the youth I educate is positive and that they know I care about their lives and what is important to them. This year, moving to a new school, has been a great change for me. I have bee able to see an entire different population of students and what they need for success in life. I don't remember it being this hard to be a child when I was young.
Hanging out by the fire.
