Leaving Minneapolis

Flood levels being what they were Bill and I were both keeping a close watch on the stream that runs behind Art and Norma's house there in Fridley.  Not least because we were sleeping on the ground/basement floor.  I teased Norma, "It's alright for you, you're sleeping upstairs!"  The creek seemed pretty full to me, but Norma wasn't worried at all.


She later emailed me a report of a train derailment thought to be due to floods, though from the photos I didn't follow that train (ha) of thought; she never mentioned the creek rising.  The whole time I was there that saying about 'God willing and the creek don't rise' bounced around in my brain.



There may be something about that stretch of the creek that protects it.  I've always preferred older built homes to new and not just because of their architecture:  I prefer houses that have demonstrably withstood the natural disasters thrown at them over a good period of time.  I appreciate things can change, but I notice it's generally the cheap new houses that get destroyed first.




Anyhow we did our good-bye thing.  Norma kept insisting that we could stay longer, she didn't care we were going to hobnob with the other side of the family in St. Paul.  I thought it best to move on, however, partly because it wasn't fair to treat them like a hotel and also because I knew I'd not be able to concentrate on the next group of people if I was still around Norma; she is absolutely excellent company and I love her to bits.