Spared by Buckets of Rain Only to be Sunk by Buckets of Rain

So I got up at 6:40 today in order to put on make up, put my contacts in and put on my five layers of costume. There's something very unsettling about putting on fishnet stockings before 7 a.m. In fact, I don't regularly get up that early and put make up on -- unless we're talking my burt's bees colored (and refreshingly minty) chapstick, and if i'm feeling fancy, some mascara.

However, I was spared from being mocked, ridiculed and groped unabashedly by near-strangers because of the astronimical amount of rain that has fallen from the heavens. Apparently, the fairgrounds washed out, and the organizers called it off for the weekend. It's just as well, because as I returned home to find J curled up on the couch, video game controller in hand, we decided to check our basement for the fifth time in 10 hours before heading off to brekkie.

For the record, I've never really understood what a sump pump is. In fact, for years I thought it was a sub pump. Because, you know, it goes under things. Like the ground. Well our sump pump sits in a concrete hole, about 10 inches below the floor of our basement. It's not really the best system, but we've had other things to worry about in our quest to revive our 1950s cape.

Well, before we headed out to grab some coffee (which turned out to be a good thing, as my local DnD was afloat in the coppermine brook. Or well, you know, underwater at least. I don't think the building was floating), we headed to my parents house to grab some hose in order to extend the drain pipe on our.. sub/under/sump (what is a sump anyway?). My dad, in true Dad fashion, thought that along with the hose, we should also take some Naval Jelly (of which he has 10 containers) -- you know, to clean the stern of our... uh... house, some dry gas, and some fuel injector cleaner (I guess in case our house goes under water and we need to make a fast get away?). And a video camera. Because, you know... somewhere in all of that, there are some serious America's Funniest Home Video moments to be had.

So we go back to our house, and alas, more water has come in the basement, and we officially have to make efforts to drain the 1 inch of water seeping everywhere quickly. It's just as well - I had to clean eventually. I was just hoping to have a nice rainy day in, put on some Diana Krall, bake a pecan pie... play some monopoly.... read a book....

Oh well. Hopefully tomorrow it will be a) too windy to do any work outside and b) not flood-like. And c) Windy, but not enough to knock down trees. I'd like power, because I have a well, and it's icky to not have running water. And d) you can't have movie day without power. And e) I really need to deep condition my hair tomorrow, so water must be clean, running and not too prevalent.

-sj