Northern Cardinal (female)

The storms last night dumped a lot of rain.  I live on the crest of a ridge so I didn't really notice how much rain we'd gotten.   I went to town this morning.    At the end of my driveway I looked to the west to see if there was traffic.  I could see all the way to the creek.  Lots of vehicles w/ flashing lights.  Maybe there was a problem on the bridge.  I turned east and drove toward town.  Orange cones had been placed along the road.  The rain had come off the fields so fast it  had undermined the roadway in places.   I came to the 'hollows' where the roadway straightens out as it crosses a swamp before getting to a bridge over the creek (same creek that's west of my place).  There were orange cones here too but to warn about water going over the roadway.  It wasn't standing water but pouring over the road and into the swamp on the other side.  I decided to venture across it but slowed enough to keep control.  At the bridge over the creek I couldn't see the creek's banks - the water was too high.  I came home the same way but wondered if I should have tried another route.  This afternoon a delivery person stopped by and said the other routes I had considered were washed out.  One good thing from all this rain, my make-shift rain barrel is completely full.  Of course, no need to water anything for awhile.