On the thirty-first of December...

It's the last day of 2008! It is also my nephew's birthday. The boys had fun bowling with him today. I will post pictures tomorrow. Happy New Year everyone!

On the thirtieth day of December...

We made it Mom and Dad Zaugg's after a long 3 hour drive last night. Traffic going through Portland was CRAZY! We had some snow at the Wilson River Summit but other than that - it was a good drive. We helped my sister move today and are now relaxing the rest of the day.

On the twenty-nineth day of December...

The river has gone down some. At least we can get in and out now. I think I will call and see if help is still needed for the funeral today. Now that I know I can get into town.

Since we can get out now - we are going over the mountain to Sandy for the next few days. So...Happy New Year everyone!

On the twenty-eighth day of December...

We are finding out we can't go to church. :( Tillamook River Road is flooding and water is starting to fill the field in front of our house. This means I will have to call and back out of making rolls for a funeral tomorrow.

On the twenty-seventh day of December...

It rains and howls outside. I didn't sleep well because it was so windy. :( We are also under a high wind watch still and a new development of a flood watch. The rivers are already high. I have to go to town this morning so will stock up on more milk. Just in case!

On the twenty-sixth day of December...

I had to take back the slippers Russell bought me. They didn't feel good on my feet. I am one of those people that has to try the shoes on first. So...I was so happy to find a pair of slip on slippers that were only $8.80 instead of $22 the original price! I also bought me some pretty bead necklaces. I haven't worn necklaces in years. I have decided I need to be more girly with my boys starting to grow up. :) lol
Now...I am off to work on Christmas dinner. We wanted to not do anything big yesterday and decided today for our yummy dinner. Need to make pies, rolls, get potatoes ready, etc. The stuffing I made the other day. It has had lots of time for the flavors to blend. Mmmmmmm.

2008 family Christmas photos...

L-R Nephi (6), Michael (7), Christopher (11) and Donovan (13 in 1 1/2 weeks)

All the family. It was a bit cold. And the snow melted. But the grass is really green!

Candace and Russell.

On the twenty-fifth day of December...

We tried to take a picture of the tree with the really cool treasure boxes Russell made for each of the boys. The picture turned out kind of dark.

So....

Up closer and after the boys found their treasure boxes...Russell made one for each of the boys. They are so excited. Mostly because it was made by dad. Russell is really creative when it comes to wood. Last year he made a headboard and footboard for our bed. The first Christmas we were married he made me a chest. Because I always wanted one. I store our Christmas things in it now.

The boys discovering their stockings and the boxes Russell made for them.

Christmas breakfast! L-R is Christopher, Michael, Russell, Nephi and Donovan. We had tasty pancakes and hot cocoa.

My mom and her husband sent the boys Star Wars The Clone Wars Monopoly. I love Monopoly so I am playing with Donovan and Christopher. Chris won.

Merry Christmas!

Away in a manger no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head...
This is the reason my family and I celebrate Christmas. The birth of our Saviour. May each of you who read our family blog have a safe and Merry Christmas!

We even have a white Christmas! Not as white as some of yours....but white nevertheless. I haven't checked yet though to see if it is actual snow or lots of hail. lol

Thanks Becky!

My sister Becky sent these really awesome Christmas cookies. They arrived today! In one piece. Aren't they beautiful? Almost too beautiful to eat. But - I live in a house full of men. One big and four little. They were just anxious to eat them. But they can't have them all at once. Mom's rules. :)

And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

Michael and Nephi wrote notes for Santa and even drew him pictures.

In the hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. That's what our boys are thinking anyway. :)

On the twenty-fourth day of December...

It's Christmas Eve! Can you believe it finally arrived? I can't. I was going to be super productive today and get up at 5:30 a.m. to start bread. Well....my alarm went off. I turned it off and promptly went back to sleep until 7 a.m. No one else was up so I got up and started my bread. Now I am off to herd the boys into doing their chores so they can play the rest of the day. They are a funny lot. If you mess with their play time they get all uptight. Michael our 7 yr old thinks school is a waste of time because it interrupts his play time. I get the biggest kick out of that one. So...he better enjoy his two week school break! Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

On the twenty-third day of December...

It is the Eve of Christmas Eve! I love saying that. Michael fell asleep on our bed last night. Russell's side. He accidently wet the bed on Russell's side. So....Russell had to sleep on the couch. :( Today we have many blankets to wash. Today I am going to make stuffing for our Christmas dinner. The leftover stuffing makes a great addition to meatloaf. Now I just need a really good ground beef sale! Not much else is happening. Our extended family is snowed in. We are enjoying a very sunshiny day. I hear tomorrow there is another storm coming. As usual - it will probably rain here.

On the twenty-second day of December...

I got after Donovan for leaving a dishwasher half full of dirty dishes. He didn't bother rinsing them off before putting them in the dishwasher. Therefore the dishwasher ran - but only half of the load came clean. Grrrrrr. Everyone got to sleep in today since it's Christmas break! The boys are eagerly counting down the days to Christmas. I love the excitement they bring to the holidays!

On the twentyfirst day of December...

Our internet, phone and cell phone usage was cut off this morning. It just came back on within the past 30 minutes or so. We don't know the cause except it was pretty widespread. Our snow is all melted now. We are watching it pour lots of water. :(

On the twentieth day of December...

I got up really early this morning to make rolls for a funeral. Russell and Donovan went to the church early to shovel the parking lot and sidewalks. I called to see if he made it but he didn't answer his phone. We still have lots of snow but I did hear the sander out this morning.

The day the car slid off the driveway...

Okay. The pictures downloaded backwards. So....

Before Russell could drive down the road....

And clean up the mess he created...

Like trying chains by the tires and digging the snow out from under them...

And pushing the car out of the fence by himself...

He slid off our driveway into the fence that keeps the cows in their pasture.

On the ninteenth day of December...

Donovan, Christopher, Michael and Nephi out on this cold snowy morning. We have about 4 inches of snow!

Donovan.

Christopher

Michael

Snowball fight!

Nephi

Russell and the boys don't have school! We have SNOW! Hooray - Christmas break has begun! :)

On the eighteenth day of December...

Russell gets to go to work today! He is really happy about that as school has been closed all week up north. The boys have school as usual. On time. Yesterday it was a 2 hour late start. We waited and waited for the bus to come. It never did. We found out later it tried turning onto our road and slid into the bridge. Fortunately the bus, driver and people were not hurt. It is supposed to snow today. I will believe it when I see it. Now that all the boys will be gone this morning...I can work on one last minute Christmas surprise.

Oh! We also got some snow today! Some of it is still sticking. It feels very Christmasy! :) Christopher has a concert tonight as well. I am looking forward to seeing what his class has been working on.

On the seventeenth day of December...

Russell turns 38! Happy birthday dear hubbie!

On the sixteenth day of December...

Russell gets to stay home once again. It must be really bad up north. Darn. Now he will be home when I start working on his birthday stuff for tomorrow! And all Michael wants for Christmas is his two front teeth. He lost his second tooth on the top last night. He looks so cute! We also have a concert tonight for Donovan. I am excited to see what he's been working on with the Jr. High band.
And it's official. We have more nasty storms coming our way. Supposedly with snow. Russell and I made a decision this morning to not drive through Portland and see parents and extended family this year. The roads are just too bad. But that's okay. The weather will eventually clear up and we will be able to see everyone and all will be well.
Now - I am off to do more laundry. And make a German Chocolate Cheese Cake for Russell's birthday tomorrow.

On the fifteenth of December...

All the areas around us must have been hit pretty hard with bad roads, snow, ice, etc. Tillamook is still on schedule for a regular school day. I hope the boys have fun freezing outside. The current temperature is 27 degrees F but feels like 5 F. The wind is from the ENE at 25 mph. Brrrrrrrrrr. Russell's school district called last night about their cancellation. It was nice for him to sleep in this morning. Plus he has a vacation week from chores. What a lucky guy! :) AND he has a birthday this week too. Some guys have all the luck.

On the fourteenth day of December....

I was hoping to wake up to snow. Nope. Nada. Nothing of the sort outside. Just a smidgen and that doesn't count. Maybe today? If it must be cold - let there be snow! :) I think it's a good day for French bread and Lasagna soup for dinner!

On the thirteenth day of December...

I braved Fred Meyers parking lot to find Russell a Christmas present. I succeeded in finding a parking spot and scored on his present. Let's just say I got $52 of stuff for $20.85! Whoohoo! I am making Cheese Enchiladas for dinner with black beans on the side. I don't know where the cold weather went to...but it's not here like predicted. Which my back thanks me for. I was feeling very achy this morning. The colder it gets - the worse it feels.

On the twelveth day of December....

We are preparing to freeze our buns off! We are under a coastal flooding watch, high wind warning starting around 10 am today and special weather advisory for the very chilly air coming our way.

On the eleventh day of December...

I made a very yummy stir fry that I will post in the "Is Dinner Ready?" blog. Russell even had seconds! A rarity. I promise. I took Nephi to the library after we mailed a package today. We read lots of stories until I had to sleep for a bit. I told Nephi to look at 3 books then wake me up. That took about 10-15 minutes. Just perfect for a very quick nap - which was all I wanted.

On the 10th day of December...

I went grocery shopping. I showed up for cub scouts but my cub scout was sick. :( Now I am going to bed.

On the ninth day of December...

I made myself a dress. I will also be participating in the Relief Society Christmas program. It's about the women in Jesus' life when he was born. We have the mother of Mary, the mother of Joseph, Elizabeth, a Shepherd's wife (that's me), the Inn Keeper's wife and Mary. It should be really neat. Please pass the kleenex. I will need a whole box just for me.

On the eighth day of December....

I went to the grocery store at 6:30 this morning. Michael was throwing up last night and I needed more crackers and some juice. I had to go before the other boys left for school. Michael has the flu I guess. He's been visiting the bathroom a lot this morning. Poor little guy. Can't keep much of anything down. It's a chicken soup for lunch day I think. Maybe for dinner too.

On the seventh day of December...

I was tagged by http://www.nottoosticky.com/ (Sticky) Thanks! I will have to come up with seven interesting things about me and post. AND seven of you lucky people who I have links to (heehee) will get tagged! I will mull over my thoughts as I go to work making something yummy in my kitchen!

Okay. I am back. Here are 7 random interesting things about me.
1. I LOVE Christmas music. I would be happy listening to it every day. Even in summertime!
2. I hate crowded supermarkets/malls, etc. Therefore when I have to go grocery shopping - I go as early in the morning as possible. Just after they open is a great time for me. lol
3. I like to be creative in what I make for meals. But it chaps my hide to hear complaints coming from certain children about how they don't like what's for dinner (or whatever the meal is.) I don't see them doing anything productive in the kitchen besides dishes.
4. I love Barry Manilow, Roger Whittaker, John Denver, ABBA and other songs from the 70's. I think I should thank my parents for that one. I've listened to these songs for forever it seems like. That's all the music they had in the house. Which could have been worse I suppose. Much worse!
5. I like to crochet. I am not good at it. The instructions aggravate me to no end. When I can decipher a pattern with help from no one - I am on top of the world. Otherwise someone has to teach me each step until I have it memorized. Therefore I only know 3 patterns. Granny square, fishermen's circle and ripple afghan.
6. I like to quilt. I love putting colors together to create something visually appealing.
7. I have my own business with Mary Kay. www.marykay.com/czaugg Of course I would love to do it more than I do but you see I am also Cub Scout den leader for our pack AND Day Camp Program Director for Tillamook County. Oh - I must have forgot - I am also wife and a mother to four busy boys.

Okay. I am tagging 7 lucky people. Are you ready?


Are you ready now?

Ready or not....
1. Leah http://michaelandleahdailey.blogspot.com/ (One of my most favorite people! Thanks for all the great memories of serving together in Texas!)

2. Ellie http://thisismydisease.com/ (A very strong, independent woman who tells us like it is. :) Hugs Ellie! )

3. Becky http://thelougheedfamily.blogspot.com/ (My sister. She has such adorable kids and I love the way she describes their escapades! Of course Becky - you know you want to be tagged....admit it! )

4.Cindy http://thefackpack.blogspot.com/ (Another really good friend I haven't seen in years! Hope all is well in St. George! Oh - we have a missionary here that knows Austin...)

5. Michelle ...private blog so I won't post her address link here. (She is my best friend since 6th grade. I haven't seen her though since 10th grade but we always keep in touch. )

6. Debbie....another private blog. (A really great family friend that I admire a lot! I want to be like her when I grow up. I love in her Christmas letter where she states that she wants to discover her children instead of just tolerate. Which I feel like I am doing most of the time. It's time for a change.)

7. Karen...http://sekiu.blogspot.com/ (My little sister! She is a great photographer as well. I couldn't tag Becky and leave you out! I wouldn't want to be responsible for a family rift! lol)

On the sixth day of December...

I was asked no less than 4 times how many days until Christmas. I love the anticipation these little guys have. Christmas is my most favorite time of year. Today the scouts picked up the bags of food for the food drive. Our little tiny pack did 540 lbs this year! We would like to top that next year. The primary children sang beautifully today as well as the retirement home here in town. There weren't very many - but they sang their hearts out and the residents really enjoyed what they had to offer.

On the fifth Day of December...

I helped in Nephi's kindergarten class. Worked on a Christmas present until I fell asleep for a little bit, put canned food in the car to drop off tomorrow for the Scouting for Food Drive and now it's time to relax! And of course just watch the lights on the Christmas tree.

On the fourth day of December...

I did some grocery shopping, mailed stuff, worked on Christmas stuff and went to Cub Scout Pack meeting. It was a good day.

On the third day of December...

Our Christmas is decorated and some presents arrived yesterday from Grandpa and Grandma Rogers. The boys will soon be banned from the tree if they can't leave them alone. :)

On the second day of December....

I exchanged the lights my true love gave to me. I finished lighting the tree so the boys can help decorate it.

On the first day of December...

My true love bought lights to finish the tree. (Unfortunately they are on a white strand and the rest of the tree is in green. Wonder if I can exchange them....)

Stars in the heavens...

I got up at 5:30 this morning. I usually look out the bedroom window to see if I can see the stars. There is something so awe inspiring about looking up in the night sky. I wasn't disappointed. The stars in the heavens this morning were brilliantly shining. It actually took my breath away. Orion was right there just outside my window. I wish the boys would have been awake to see it. Once I figured out the constellations - I have always enjoyed watching for them.

We are truly a blessed nation...

"We have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us."

---Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Cub Scout Pow Wow

I just got back from the most amazing fun filled informational day ever! I got to go to Cub Scout Pow Wow with my Assistant Den Leader and the Webelos Den Leader and a Committee Chair member. We carpooled over together and had such a blast visiting on the way and back home again. I took all kinds of great classes like Wood crafts, edible crafts, crafts on a budget, skits and run-ons, Cub Scout science and awards for scouts and leaders. I even won a canteen at the end of the day! Woohoo! I got some great ideas for day camp this coming summer and I am so excited!

Friday morning flood update

You are probably wondering what OneBite has to do with flooding. Well...there are three farms surrounding us. Two across the river and the other across the fields. When it floods the rats/mice become displaced. We have discovered they like to come to our garage and house. In the past three weeks we've had the unwelcome critters in the house. Ew. We've been told this stuff will get rid of them. I should hope so.

As of lunchtime today - the river is sitting just below the banks. It sure left the fields nice and green though.

Dropping the boys off at the bus stop this morning. I took a picture of the water markings on this road sign and fence pole. It's about 4 feet from the ground.

The field this morning about 7:05. Driving the boys down the road.

The other side of the road - just across from the above picture. Our neighbors yards are still waterlogged. Ours luckily didn't get that deep. We actually didn't have much at all in the front.

Got Turkey?

I made cranberry sauce today. I am all ready for Thanksgiving now!

Lunchtime update...

The seagulls have come. They like to eat the bugs in the water. The only time we see them at our house is when it floods.

The river is still breaking the banks. But - the sun is shining!

Thursday morning's update...

I woke up this morning at 5:30. From the neighbor's outdoor light all I saw was water. Now that it is finally light enough - here are some pics!

Looking from the boys' bedroom window. Our backyard is under water.

From our deck - the field in front of our house is full of water.

Looking towards another neighbor's house. Lots of water. It's about 1 1/2 feet deep at our end. That would make it about 3-4 feet deep at the end of the road.

Looking out from the living room. The water is pouring into the field rapidly.

From our living room again - looking at the barn across the river. Hope the cows are okay. Russell stayed home today. He tried driving to see how deep the water was. Then decided the water was too deep for him to wade through to get to his car parked out on the main road. Good thinking.

3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon

As of 3 p.m. yesterday it was still pouring buckets of rain. The river's level hadn't changed much from this for a long time it seemed.

Looking out from the kitchen window there is now two steady streams of water

pouring into our side of the river bank. This is the Tillamook River by the way. All the water to the left in the picture is the fields behind the barn across the river from us. Up closer. Yesterday afternoon it looked like this might be all the river was going to do.

Looking from our living room to the barn across the river. I am glad I went into town to pick the boys up earlier. Russell had to walk through all the water to get home. There has been a new development but I can't take pics until it gets lighter first...

Due to flooding issues...

I HAD to take some more pics when I had to pick up the boys from school a little while ago...

As of 12:15 or so this afternoon - the river just starting to break the bank on our side. You can barely see where. That won't last for long.

This pool of water is covering a cow pasture. The field was completely free of water at 7:15 this morning.

The river on the backside of our neighborhood.

Our mailbox/school bus stop area when we came back from picking up the boys.

Only 30 minutes earlier - this is what it looked like. All under water now.

This morning...

This morning around 7:30 when it was light enough to see the river. It's definitely higher than last night. I sent the boys off to school. I will watch the river. When it breaks the banks on our side (R) I know I have just enough time to run to town to pick them up! Now - I am off to work on their Christmas presents. Mwaaahaaahaaaa

We've upgraded to a flood watch/warning

We've been upgraded to a flood watch. We will see what things look like in the morning. Maybe we can all stay home again tomorrow! I didn't take another pic at 4 p.m. because the river appeared to be the same level as at 12 noon. Then it was too dark after that.


URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTEDFLOOD WATCHNATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR257 PM PST TUE NOV 11 2008...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR AREAS IN SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON ANDNORTHWEST OREGON WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT....A STRONG JET STREAM WILL BRING A VERY WET STORM SYSTEM TO THEPACIFIC NORTHWEST LATER TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. AREAS OF GREATESTPOTENTIAL IMPACT THAT MAY HAVE THE MOST SUSTAINED PERIOD OF HEAVYRAIN INCLUDE THE WILLAPA HILLS...THE SOUTHERN WASHINGTONCASCADES...THE NORTHWEST OREGON COAST RANGE...THE NORTH OREGONCOAST...AND THE NORTHERN OREGON CASCADES.
ORZ001-003-005-WAZ020>022-121800-/O.NEW.KPQR.FA.A.0002.081112T1400Z-081113T1200Z//00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/NORTH OREGON COAST-COAST RANGE OF NORTHWEST OREGON-LOWER COLUMBIA-WILLAPA HILLS-SOUTH WASHINGTON COAST-I-5 CORRIDOR IN COWLITZ COUNTY-INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ASTORIA...CANNON BEACH...TILLAMOOK...VERNONIA...JEWELL...TRASK...ST. HELENS...CLATSKANIE...FRANCES...RYDERWOOD...RAYMOND...LONG BEACH...CATHLAMET...LONGVIEW...KELSO...CASTLE ROCK257 PM PST TUE NOV 11 2008
...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH LATEWEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR NORTH OREGON COAST AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PORTLAND HAS ISSUED A* FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWESTWASHINGTON...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...IN NORTHWESTOREGON...COAST RANGE OF NORTHWEST OREGON...LOWER COLUMBIA ANDNORTH OREGON COAST. IN SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON...I-5 CORRIDOR INCOWLITZ COUNTY...SOUTH WASHINGTON COAST AND WILLAPA HILLS.* FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT* SINCE EARLY TUESDAY MORNING...APPROXIMATELY 1.0 TO 1.6 INCHES OFRAIN FELL IN THE COAST AND COAST RANGE. PERIODS OF MODERATE TOHEAVY RAIN LATER TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY WILL RESULT IN RAPIDRISES IN SEVERAL RIVERS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 3.5 INCHES ISEXPECTED IN THE COAST AND COAST RANGE OVER THE NEXT 36 HOURS.CURRENT FORECASTS INDICATE SOME RIVERS IN THE COASTAL AREAS MAYRISE TO NEAR FLOOD STAGE AROUND MIDDAY WEDNESDAY. RIVERS OFCONCERN ARE THE WILLAPA...NASELLE...GRAYS...WILSON AND TRASKRIVERS* PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN LATER TONIGHT THROUGH EARLYTHURSDAY WILL ALSO CAUSE RAPID RISES ON SEVERAL RIVERS ANDSTREAMS IN THE COWLITZ AND LEWIS RIVER BASINS. TWO TO 4.5 INCHESOF RAIN IS EXPECTED IN THE SOUTH WASHINGTON CASCADES AND CASCADEFOOTHILLS OVER THE NEXT 36 HOURS. CURRENT FORECASTS INDICATE THECOWLITZ RIVER MAY RISE TO NEAR FLOOD STAGE THURSDAY MORNING.A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ONCURRENT FORECASTS.LANDSLIDES AND DEBRIS FLOWS ARE POSSIBLE DURING THIS FLOOD EVENT.PEOPLE...STRUCTURES AND ROADS LOCATED BELOW STEEP SLOPES...INCANYONS AND NEAR THE MOUTHS OF CANYONS MAY BE AT SERIOUS RISKFROM RAPIDLY MOVING LANDSLIDES.YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLEFLOOD WARNINGS. THOSE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING SHOULD BEPREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLOODING DEVELOP.THE NEXT UPDATE FOR THIS WATCH WILL BE ISSUED BY 10 AM WED.
FLOOD ADVISORYNATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR758 PM PST TUE NOV 11 2008
ORC003-007-009-041-053-057-067-071-WAC049-069-121400-/O.NEW.KPQR.FA.Y.0005.081112T0358Z-081112T1400Z//00000.N.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/LINCOLN OR-BENTON OR-TILLAMOOK OR-WASHINGTON OR-POLK OR-YAMHILL OR-COLUMBIA OR-CLATSOP OR-PACIFIC WA-WAHKIAKUM WA-758 PM PST TUE NOV 11 2008
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PORTLAND HAS ISSUED AN* URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY FOR...CLATSOP COUNTY IN NORTHWEST OREGON...NORTHWESTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST OREGON...TILLAMOOK COUNTY IN NORTHWEST OREGON...WESTERN COLUMBIA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST OREGON...WESTERN YAMHILL COUNTY IN NORTHWEST OREGON...PACIFIC COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON...WESTERN WAHKIAKUM COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON...LINCOLN COUNTY IN WESTERN OREGON...WESTERN BENTON COUNTY IN WESTERN OREGON...WESTERN POLK COUNTY IN WESTERN OREGON...* UNTIL 600 AM PST WEDNESDAY.* AT 755 PM PST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERYHEAVY RAIN ALONG THE SOUTH WASHINGTON AND NORTH AND CENTRAL OREGONCOASTS...OVER THE WILLAPA HILLS OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON...AND OVERTHE NORTH AND CENTRAL OREGON COAST RANGE.* THIS INCLUDES COASTAL COMMUNITIES SUCH AS TILLAMOOK...ASTORIA...LINCOLN CITY...AND HIGHWAYS IN THE AREA INCLUDING HIGHWAY 101 ANDHIGHWAY 6.SPOTTERS HAVE INDICATED HEAVY RAIN THIS EVENING HAS CAUSED SOMEWATER TO BEGIN TO ACCUMULATE ALONG HIGHWAY 101 NEAR TILLAMOOK ANDALSO ALONG HIGHWAY 6 NEAR AND JUST EAST OF TILLAMOOK. THE HEAVY RAINCOULD BEGIN AFFECTING DRAINAGE IN OTHER AREAS ALONG THE COAST AND INTHE COASTAL MOUNTAINS NORTHWARD INTO SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON.MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTOAREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. FLOOD WATERS ARE USUALLYDEEPER THAN THEY APPEAR. JUST ONE FOOT OF FLOWING WATER IS POWERFULENOUGH TO SWEEP VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODEDROADS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ONHIGHWAYS...STREETS AND UNDERPASSES...IN URBAN AREAS WITH POOR OROVERWHELMED DRAINAGE...AND WILL ALSO CAUSE ELEVATED LEVELS ON SMALLCREEKS AND STREAMS.

As of 12 noon today....

It's been steadily raining all night and all day so far. The winds have picked up since about 8:30 this morning. Looking from the kitchen window...the river is high. It still has a ways to go though before we are flooded in. Will take another pic later just before dark. Since we live on the coast this river is affected by the ups and downs of the swells, tides from the ocean and run-offs from the mountains.