b'Most of these well-meaning folksThe biggest rise here, 26 feet arrive with no historic lessons orabove normal, occurred a little context under their belts from ourmore than a week later. Unlike the ancient rivers up here in theselosses on our neighboring sister hardscrabble hills. rivers and creeks, the Llano rise As the July 4th weekend ofgave us time to move our catastrophic Hill Countryirrigation pumps to higher flooding unfolded, we weregrounds. We also had the blessing contacted by so many friendsof daylight to do this dangerous wanting to know, Are you allwork during the critical time nearly every livin last bear, wolf,right? Our little world wrappedbefore the river peaked. coyote, mountain lion, and evenaround our two local native seed screwworms were taken out of thefarms on the upper Llano had natural systems. Because Judysnothing more than minor ancestor settlers had their needs,inconveniences. We had flooded toobut theyfarm fields, half a day without just couldnt see the unintendedpower, pulled our pumps up from consequences like we can seethe river. Eight-year-old Fishers now.innocence and joy mixed with the horrors we were hearing as he ran Meanwhile, more settlers areup and down the valleys between stacking up perty deep along thethe row crops of the farm. He has I-35 corridor. They are climbingalways loved slipping and sliding into the eastern foothills of theand jumping and lying down in beloved Texas Hill Countrythe muddy standing waters. Its looking for places to call their own.summertime for him.'