Rain -- and Water

It's been pouring rain most of the day here in Seattle.
I've been watching the water rising slowly in the drain outside my door.

For the first time, I got the Shop-Vac and used it on my porch, before the water came in. But there's no sign of the rain letting up, and it's only 7:45pm. I have towels down now - lots of towels down. Hopefully it will limit the amount of mess -- because it's practically guaranteed that at some time tonight the water level will rise to my personal flooding point, and I really don't want to be getting up every hour or two to check it.

I was getting on my treadmill -- but now I've changed into soft, comfy clothing and have decided to spend the time in contemplative prayer instead. It's a totally non-rational decision. Or maybe not. Maybe I'm anticipating a lot of stress later on, and would rather go into tonight with relaxation and grounding rather than pushing my body hard.

Or maybe some part of me is heeding the message that my home and the rain have been trying to get me to listen to for the past four years.


Does anyone have, or know of, or want to make for me, an icon for my rain and flooding posts? I keep thinking that I need one.

The Ex Comes Through

So there I was: sitting in the corner of my bedroom furthest away from the noise of children shrieking and jumping from upstairs, when I heard the Ex calling to me from the top of the stairs. (He had been on his way to his job in Kennewick, but was turned back because the passes are closed due to snow.)

I came up out of my prayer with only the slightest twinge of frustration, and found that he was coming down with a long length of tubing and a drill.

The contraption he rigged -- the drill powering a simple pump -- has sucked all the water off my porch and is now pumping out the too-small reservoir under our house. Which means that it's very likely I will be able to sleep through the night and wake tomorrow morning with no flooding.

It turns out that this is stuff he's had around the house for a long time, he's just never rigged it up before.

I've been ferociously upset with him previously, so I'll concentrate at this moment on being grateful that he's come through and made this handy little gadget work.

Glitch

It seems the $2 pump has burnt out.

The Ex has gone out -- at 8:45 on a Sunday night -- to fetch a new one.

I'm not sure where he's going to find one at this time on a Sunday evening.

More bulletins as events warrant.

Finger in the Dike, next chapter

Home Depot was closed.
Color me unsurprised.

The pump from the kid's big wading pool didn't have enough power to lift the water from the drain up the 8 feet or so to reach the lawn and then get it away from the ledge.

He says he has another "mad idea."

Okay. . .

Finger in the Dike 4

The Ex has decided to run a hose from the pump to the drain on the floor in the laundry room.

(You know: the one that backflows when the sewer line gets clogged.)

Fortunately, we roto-rootered less than a month ago.

This configuration seems to be working. The pump is staying ahead of the rainflow, and it looks like it's clearing out the reservoir below the house (as the initial pump was starting to do).

It will have to be checked in an hour or two, to be sure there's enough water in the system to keep it primed and functioning, but it seems my pessimism has been overturned.

To quote Princess Leia from The Empire Strikes Back: "You have your moments. Not many, but you do have them."

ETA: Changed userpic on this entry, to one of several made for me by dancingchaplain for my water/flooding posts. Thank you!