random thoughts – Day 1,221 – (Friday) – monsoon season

Another day of wild weather.  It was cloudy and mostly calm all day until suddenly it wasn’t any more. By 5:00 the dark clouds had gathered. By 5:45 it was pouring, but I was home by then, dry and indoors.

Front door water feature.

The gutters overflowed in a rather unwelcoming cascade over the front door, but nobody was expected, so it was mostly ok. The porch curtains fluttered in the wind and the rain blew in, soaking the deep window sills. 

Soon, the walk leading to the front steps, part of the front yard, and the end of the street were under water. Both driveways were under water from the street to bottom of the steps at the back door and the deck on the other side of the house.

I was afraid to look in the basement. When I finally did, after 45 minutes of rain, it wasn’t pretty. The wall along the driveway had two impressive water spouts shooting liquid onto the floor from the height of one to two cinder blocks. The wall at the front of the house had two lesser streams from about the same height. Water pooled on the floor. It was time to push the water with the broom to the relatively dry corner with the sump pump. It was going well. Felt manageable, for the moment anyway.

Indoor water jets.

Then, the sump pump hole emptied, kept running, and wouldn’t stop. Faint smoke rose from the sump pump hole. The air carried the smell of something burnt. Manual effort was needed to get the pump to stop. Push the water to the hole, let it fill to trigger the pump and drain, then manually set the arm to the right position to get it to stop. Push the water, fill the hole, stop the pump. Repeat. 

During my time swabbing the basement, Winston created his own puddle on the kitchen floor. It wasn't his fault, I wasn't there to open the door for him. Not that he would have gone outside in the deluge anyway. I wanted to cry, maybe just a little, but there is really no need for any more water here at The BungaLowell.

The sky brightened, along with my mood. The storm drain in the street had a chance to catch up and the water emptied from the street and driveway. By 8:00, it felt safe to stop and enjoy a beverage – Finnish Long drink, cranberry flavor. The break was short lived. Around 9:00, thunder rumbled and by 9:15 it was raining. Again. 

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, people posted photos on Facebook. Parking lots were underwater, streets were flooded, and other basements were several feet under water. It was a small comfort knowing my situation wasn't as bad as these, but also stressful. Like waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’m pretty sure I prefer last summer’s drought to this year’s monsoon season. Maybe it's because I'm a fire sign.