Sunday, June 08, 2008

Queen of De Nial


The night from a movie? As I was sitting in the basement, my new hangout, relaxing and listening to the sump pump do it's thing. I am getting my survival nest pretty comfy and the tornado warnings were still going on....when an alarm goes off on my sump pump. There was only one reason I was aware it went off and that was when the water in the back up battery goes dry and needs more water. I get up and notice I don't hear the sump pump and as I am walking it was like a movie. Water creeping in around me, the floor disappearing under water...I have the phone in my hand and call my brother in a screaming voice....my basement is flooding???? My sump pump quit, one look and the crock is full of water and I can't hear any pumping....Help me I don't know what to do? He is upset and says he can't leave because the streets are closed due to flooding. Besides nothing is open any more, where can we get a sump pump???? I don't care pull one out of your arse....ahhh crap I don't know what to do....will I get electicuted? he says if you stand in the water and you have an electrical cord in the water, yes you will.....Ok so now we have my two most dreaded things, water, I can't swim, not realizing the water probably will not top the stairway, and
electric!!! I head for the steps, I'm calling a plumber I don't care what, he can fix this and the wet carpeting and all my stuff!!! So I call the Emergency number and am reassured I am on the top of the list, I called quickly that is a good thing they remind me...yeah...get out your wallet....I keep looking for the water to hit the first step...it seems to have stayed the same....I call the neighbor, we are all on one sump...mine!!! Her basement is flooded too, but she tells me hers is worse because she has a finished basement....You know what when someone is freeking upset about their running and rising water, don't even go there and say well mine is worse....rationally it probably is, but right now I am two steps away from ripping your head off of your neck.
In my mind I am seeing floating totes of yarn, bobbing gently in a circle laughing at me...
The plumber comes and notes the sump is working fine it just can't keep up? There are a few things we can do here....he is talking calm and like a used car salesman. I think he senses I am not calm and not buying his sales pitch to put in a bigger crock? are you on drugs? can you do that tonight? Now? Well no he calmly replies, I say....it's raining and more rain to come and can you build an Ark? He gives me a few more let's put it this way cheaper alternatives. I came up with one of my own, put in a larger pump? Ok? Oh sure I can do that, but with the water rising so fast I may have to do that another day!!!! WHAT? Warm sunny Monday??? Well I can....blah blah blah.....Dan really was nice, just too calm for me. So he did it right and it is done and water is leaving the area. My wallet is $800. lighter.... Now the aftermath....I kept looking at it wishing it gone....what is my line of attack? I didn't sleep last night and now I am having coffee, I did bring out the carpet cleaner to suck water out of the rugs, but....now I have a Migrane....last night I turned the humidifier up and put a fan on and that is going to do the magic.....that is going to dry up the sopping carpeting and some cardboard boxes......I am in denial.......I am toast!!!!! But, I am very thankful that it wasn't a tornado, I could have lost my home, which the neighbor said would have been good for her, I reminded her I live here, I appreciate not living in a shelter, in my nightgown. Not today...... Clean up begins.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

we're glad you're ok and you saved the yarn! we're ok thanks to steve, some sand bags and 2 sump pumps! my mother-in-law in s.mil had 3 feet of sewer water in her finished basement!

i'm soooo looking forward to saturday!!!! see you then!

jolene

Dragonfly7673 (Vicki) said...

Oh my goodness! I'm glad you are ok! Ugh, I can't imagine the mess.