Mountains Moving Outside My Window

As I sit at my desk trying to pump out another thousand words (per day) on my church history text, I'm distracted by the river. In recent weeks there has not been a lot of change in the sheets of ice that float by. But today there are large jagged "mountains" of ice piles, some 4-6 feet high---sometimes moving and sometimes coming to a complete standstill. The beauty is as breathtaking as it is frightful. Ice jams cause the worst floods. Last February we left our vehicles on high ground and kayaked over the 3 feet of ice and water on the road to get to them. This season, which is already sporting a record snowfall, could be much worse. The Grand River gave the Grand Rapids region a 50-year flood in 2004 (still 18 inches below our floor level). The last 100-year flood was in 1904, which I guess means we're due for another one. I would much rather make headlines with a church history text than with a flood.