When the rain stopped, Maria and I looked at one another and said the same thing.

We are in a new era. Items will be different.  I’m not into pessimism, but we looked at reality well. Things will change; there is sadness and loss to that. There is also good and important work to do.

The fires, the floods, the smoke, the heat, and the droughts, were all somebody else’s problem until yesterday. We are all brothers and sisters now, like it or not.

Now these challenges belong to all of us. It rained for several days in our area and devastated towns in New York State, especially in Vermont, just a few miles away.

Whole towns and villages were flooded, bridges were destroyed, homes were damaged and lost, at least one person drowned, and several were missing. We are where so many of you have been.

This is no longer things that happen to everybody else but a reality that has come to Bedlam Farm. Our little pond was a raging river; we lost power twice and for long periods. Crops were damaged, and basements flooded. power was knocked out for hours and hours.

To me, this photo says it all. The flowers took a water beating

(Our hero did it all and saved the night; he kept the food fresh, the medicine good, the water running, and the lights on all night. Thanks.)

Many of my garden bed flowers were damaged or destroyed; the rain was heavy and went on for hours and hours. The ground is soaked, and crops are endangered or already ruined.

We are rethinking how to prepare for the future, which is quickly becoming the present. Our new generator was wise; it kept our food fresh, my medicines safe, and our lights on. I’ve been offline more in the past couple of weeks than in a decade altogether.

We are coping. I’ll re-fill our gas tanks for the generator; I ordered two emergency solar lamps on Amazon; we are sick of flashlights with dead batteries when the lights go out. We are considering the many steps we can take to be prepared (I ordered two large window air conditioners in early May, and we are bracing for many hot days.) We are doing whatever we can to help Mother Nature; we will do more.

(The sheep and the donkeys were cleaning themselves off, the Pole Barn was all mud.)

I now know that there is great beauty hereafter any store, and this was especially true this morning. I’m off to the Mansion for my Meditation class and will be back and writing after lunch. I hope everyone reading this is dry, free of smoke, fire, and temperatures over 100 degrees.

It’s time to be very woke.

(They were happy to see Maria; everyone wanted some attention. They know what’s going on; they knew long before us.)

The hens, undeterred, came out to resume their war on bugs and worms.

The garden beds were bloody but unbowed. Some won’t come back, some already are, but the flowers really got clobbered.