Tuesday, March 14, 2017 9:34 am

By CAROL GUNTER

Leland Statom Channel 5's top guy to get the latest weather information from stated this morning March 6th we're 2 1/2 inches behind in rainfall for the new year 2017 so we do need rain! The other day I believe a canoe could have done nicely navigating down the ditch line behind our house or for that matter the road in front of our house.

We around here literally drowning with so much precipitation but hang on to the rafters or just get to higher ground as 1/2" to possibly 1 1/2" of more rainfall heading down the pipeline for us shortly. Frogs in our ditch line most likely swept away in the last flood probably down to Mountain Creek in neighboring Warren County and points beyond. Maybe they burrow underground after hearing their own meteorologists forecast. I'm sure they've got one in their part of the underground world of amphibians wouldn't you think?

If the little green men have them on their food chain list, then as smart as they are, they would have a manufacturing plant that turns out a whole bunch of life vests, if the frogs want to take the option of having one or the opportunity to be given for them to get out of a death sentence for sure in their future. This would be a hard decision for any frog to make unless they eat their spinach as Popeye does or maybe eat their Wheaties, the breakfast of Champions, every day!

No doubt they could hop at such a speed quicker than any little alien would ever imagine and live to croak (not as in dying) another day. Just wondering if the little green fellas eat the whole frog or just their legs as I personally have tasted frog's legs (they tasted like chicken to me) that my Mom used to fry up for us in that big ole iron skillet on that stove in the kitchen that you could burn wood in to get any important cooking going.

That also, was the same stove that could have done our daddy in that fateful day when our mom forgot she had put a Pepsi Cola bottle (as in glass) in that oven and it exploded covering daddy with so many ashes that came settling down on him and the newspaper he was reading. Let's face it some funny stories need repeating and this is definitely one of them.

Wasn't there when this happened, as I was out of the nest by then, but was told daddy was a funny sight and hardly recognizable with ashes all over him and the newspaper. I do thank God that He was looking out for both of them as glass went everywhere except on dad and mom.

Mom sure learned a lot that day about where to store those Pepsi's and I bet daddy checked that stove from that day forward just to make sure mom had learned a valuable lesson. I had to laugh as mom related to me she heard the bottle spewing and then remembered about the Pepsi bottle. All she could do was holler Jake get out of the kitchen but daddy just looked up and asked what? - and that was when the oven door blew open!

Most likely daddy was reading the sports section and checking his beloved "Yankees" baseball game they had played. When he was in deep concentration on our "National Pastime", it would take more than an explosion to get him in high-gear on moving. Love and miss you mom and dad. Good news though, I'll be seeing you later.

Surprised and very happy at church yesterday when Mai Nell Melton gave me a little gift bag with a can of tuna (in water the kind I like) no less in it. Carlon and her know how I love my tuna and crackers. "Thank You" both for your thoughtfulness. Bobby, looks like you're 'off the hook' for the time being on the tuna for me.

Two more flower magazines today in the mail confirming to me that spring is just around the corner. A blue million perennials already with full steam ahead getting a couple of inches high out of the ground. Hope this doesn't mean everything around here is heading for a downfall with being set back somewhat by a March snow. This has happened before ya know.

Looked at the yards yesterday evening after church, and they are definitely ready for mowing. The sad effect is that it's going to rain tonight and a lot more rain tomorrow and with the way every blade of grass, green onion, or flower is coming on, it will take a month of Sundays to get caught up with all the yard work that needs to be done around here and my skeleton crew is only made up on any given day of just me. You know I will have three maybe four days of spring cleaning around our house to get done this week, before the ground will dry out enough to be mowed. This is not a good scenario for me at all bet will manage nonetheless.

Let's keep these people in our prayers: Jeff Brown, Edith Miller, Carlon Melton, Denise Stanton, Charlie Mai Daniel, and our military troops who are fighting enemy forces in foreign lands to keep us free here in America. Also, on our prayer list should be the men and women police officers that try to keep the law of the land in check protecting us from the criminals that want to hurt us.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

If you have any news for the column, give me a call at 615-563-4429. Have a great day!

If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:12