It has been raining. I’m talking about a constant heavy rain. And the temperatures got up to the high 50’s on Tuesday which melted most of the snow. Everywhere you looked there was standing water. I tried to avoid a deep puddle in front of my mailbox by stepping into the grass. That was a huge mistake. The ground is totally saturated. When I stepped on the grass, the water squirted out as if I’d stomped on a water logged sponge. Backing up to Monday, it poured all night and our poor, nearly old enough to purchase booze, sump pump was on all night. I had troubled dreams and suggested to Sparky that it might be a good idea to purchase a back-up sump pump – just in case.
Tuesday night I arrived home still damp from dashing to the car in the pouring rain. Because Sparky was working late, I was eating alone. I had just sat down to eat when I realized I needed a beverage (we keep the supply in the basement). I made it to the bottom of the stairs and stepped down onto the “exercise mat” only to have it “float” away. I didn’t fall down but did do a hydroplane-windmill-squawking like a wounded goose kind of dance. I managed to get the pictures off the floor and moved the weight bench, chair, and floor lamps back from the rising flood. I proceeded to deploy towels. I was brave and pulled up the interlocking foam exercise mat and got that dried off and relocated to a dry area. I used almost all the junk towels from my basement stash. Then I got my water and went back upstairs to eat. As I was taking my first bite, Sparky texted me asking “Can you check the basement for water?” I told him it was wet and that we didn’t have enough towels. After a few back and forth texts he called. When he got home at 10:30 PM he went to work trying to sop up the water.
We initially thought the source was the basement window wells. Ever since he built the raised garden on that side of the house, the drainage has been slightly wonky. Seems the water was filling the windows wells and running down the wall behind the drywall and seeping out at the baseboards. We worked until after midnight in an effort to mitigate the flooding. Sparky must have collected 7 five gallon buckets of water from the back corner of the basement. Most things were in plastic storage bins so we didn’t lose anything – except sleep! He had Wednesday and Thursday off and that was a very good thing since it continued to rain! Thursday morning he informed me that although there had been water in the window wells, he suspects a more serious issue. Namely he thinks there might possibly be a crack in the foundation! The basement as of Thursday night was mostly dry and all the towels had been dried and are waiting to be deployed. Just when we thought the rain had stopped, the weather anchor announced that there will be a few more showers Thursday night into Friday!
There is extensive flooding in the area. Our water issues are minor compared to those unfortunate enough to live next to the water! I have 2 coworkers who are stranded and unable to leave their homes because all roads are flooded. That coupled with 2 others out sick (and one just now recovering from the flu – the real flu) meant we were very busy today! The high water in the river has resulted in a goodly section of downtown blocked off for safety. I’m hoping the river has already crested since the river is within 2 feet of flooding the Century Center where my ceramics studio is in the basement.
A Different Perspective 