Free time

I awoke this morning at 7:00 to prepare for the day. I usually do not listen long to the clock radio when it sounds each morning. Today was no exception. However, it was on long enough for me to hear the D.J.'s mention the severe rain we are receiving. I arose and looked outside to see the remnants of Hurricane Ike pouring down upon us. Of course, it is not a hurricane anymore. In fact, the storm now consists of very little wind - there is just so much moisture still caught up in the depression that it needs to get rid of it somehow.

It is now 8:15 a.m. I just returned into my apartment from my car. Just as I was pulling out of my parking lot I received a phone call from the Elders Quorum President informing me that church is canceled today. The weather service has issued flood warnings for several counties throughout the region. Several of the main roads commonly used to travel to the chapel have been closed by local authorities. It has been raining very hard for quite some time now, and apparently it is to continue for a good while.

Do you ever see those meteorological radar maps displaying the regional precipitation? You know, the severity and degree of rainfall is color coded. Light green patches signify drizzling rain, dark green suggests a steady rainfall, yellow indicates an intense storm with significant rain, orange shows sever precipitation, and red... well red suggests such a heavy rainfall that there is really no way for any more water to fall from the sky. Right now the local radar shows a big red patch passing over the top of St. Louis. Immediately surrounding this storm center is a significant amount of orange - covering several counties. And the yellow and green areas reach from western Missouri all the way over to central Illinois and on up toward Chicago. It is quite a storm.

Anyways, now I need to figure out what I am going to do cooped up in my apartment all day today. In all my life I do not think I have ever had church canceled before. I put a roast in the crock pot when I awoke, looking forward to a good meal this afternoon when I was to return from church. Now I will be teased all morning with the familiar aroma of a pending Sunday meal.