Monday Message

"Let us be in a position so we are able to not only feed ourselves through the home production and storage, but others as well." (President Ezra Taft Benson)

Well, this is two weeks ago when you will be reading this... The second we took on water from heavy rain, we were pumping it out when my sister came for a visit. In the night of July 3rd, I was awake and thought, oh no, more rain that was heavy. At 1:25 a.m. I got up to check the basement floor. It had dried nicely so I went back to bed. I still couldn't sleep and rain kept going hard so at 3 a.m. I went to look again and water was again coming in. I woke my husband to turn on the extra pump which he did. I fell asleep but woke early to go look but my sister had already looked. It was really bad. She said she heard noises of things falling in the basement. 

We had 18 inches of water so we added a third pump but it was not running well. My sister had to be places on the fourth and my husband decided to go get another pump. I manned the pump that wasn't doing well - it would run for three minutes then I would unplug it to cool it down for three minutes, then repeat - three on, three off... This went on till my husband was home and we put in the new pump (now there were four pumps). 

It was now one in the afternoon and I measured 21.5 inches of water, so it was gaining on me even though I kept at it - three on three off. This pump worked all day and night and in the morning my husband put it in the sump basin so we could start the very very long and hard work of clean up. 

Come to find out the first night we had ten inches of rain in a short time span, second night 5.5 more inches in a short time so in total 15.5 inches fell. It has been three days since then and still water fills the basin fast. Fortunately, what we got is only ground water. For so many other it was sewage, eeew, that is way worse! And this was hard. When my husband was picking up the new pump, they said that they had to send someone an hour and a half away to get sump pumps.

Under basement stairs, I stored sheets in garbage bags for making rugs on my loom and towels too for rugs. Can I just say those were soooooo heavy to get out as they were wet and at that I had to break them up into four bags each just so I could carry out that - it took all day yesterday. 

This morning we were met with stacks of buckets that tilted across the walk way, I wasn't planning to do buckets till tomorrow. But that went to the front of the line. We were able to move them off and found the wood had failed. So we took off the wet wood and put on two by fours and restacked the buckets then I dried cans as best I could and stacked them in plastic tubs - this took all day.

Fans are working overtime down there now.

While husband was getting the pump, the water took out the internet and phones and water heater and furnace motherboard, so no air conditioning and it was very hot those days.

That was the third and now it's the eighth. We're still working hard but at least the air is now on and the two fans we were using can now help in the basement.

It is a lot harder now that I am seventy than it was when I was younger to pick up such a mess.

This was the worst amount of rain I have ever seen.

And now on the eighth, we are trying to dry out and just now another flood watch has been sent out. 

I complained of no rain but now I complain it's too much rain. I feel like that book "Too Much Noise" that we used to read the kids

I tell you that you can be prepared and still troubles happen. You can only do the best that you can.  Having had issues in the past, I made sure things were above the four inches - like my old buckets of beans were saved to be under buckets so four inches plus the buckets high and yet the water went higher. So we can only do the best we can and hope for the best.

I am thankful the internet and phones are back on and thankful water heater was fine and on, but most of all I really like having air back on.

Not looking forward to more water coming, the ground water levels are already high.

We are working to fix sump pumps and it's not easy going.

We have things out front and back draped over to dry.

When we thought we had only a little water and was pumping it out, my sister showed me a pattern. I had already warped the little loom so was ready... it looks very pretty.

Keep building your storage, keep making preps and building your skills.

Missy says trials come to us all, having storage helps us to weather the storms. Even if some of it gets compromised, she is sure glad we put those buckets of old beans on the bottom as it saved a lot.

Tippy Longstockings says take care, everyone in the path of the storms, and stay safe!