Inspired by a little-known picture book from the pen of Bethany Tudor, this is a diary, of sorts, where I document some of my thoughts, activities, and ideas as I explore the challenges met by the characters in the story: hard work, the care and nurture of others, housekeeping skills, life changes, charity, community, and cooperation, among others. Like Samuel and Samantha, the ducks in the tale, I struggle and succeed, cope and celebrate, work and play, handling the tasks that come my way. I invite you to join me on my journey.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

When It Rains

…and the water runs through my backyard like a small tributary heading down the path of least resistance to the stream in the woods a half mile from house, I get A LOT of water in my basement! Usually, when water comes up in my basement, it only rises a few inches before being removed by my sump pump. When A LOT of water flows through my local watershed in a short period of time (like the past two days), the water apparently comes right through my stone foundation and onto the dirt, skipping the sump pump entirely. Yes, you read that correctly; my basement is about 75% dirt/sand/gravel and 25% concrete. The concrete portion has a retaining wall and a slab upon which sits my furnace and my clothes washer. Beyond/behind the retaining wall is fill and a huge boulder, hence the reason my basement is not completely dug out and finished. In the twenty years that my husband and I have owned this house, we have never had water come through our foundation wall and onto the dirt. We have also never had so much water in our yard.

Current status: a small amount of water is still coming up in the sump pump/concrete portion of my basement. The dirt is wet but not taking on new water.

Current strategy: continue to pump any water that comes up in the concrete portion of the basement and install fans to dry out the dirt.

So how’s the weather in your neck of the woods?

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