6.10.2009

FloodWatch 2009


We've been getting lots of rain lately. Lots. And we now have a swimming hole in our basement. Total bummer. We live in faculty/staff housing on campus and our house in particular was rented by some folks who didn't seem to have the same concerns as we do. Since moving here last summer we've requested a bit of an overhaul on this rancher house. Don't get me wrong, I love, love, love this house. I love the yard, the location, the 4 bedrooms. Love it. And to the school's credit, they jump on most things when we bring issues to their attention.

We had a little mold issue a few months ago. A mold/pest guy came out, did a review and found we also had some wood beetles or something. Part of their solution was to lay plastic down in part of the basement that is just crawl space to help with the dampness leaking up to the house. Sounded great! Until it rained. We think all the water hit our crappy gutters that haven't been replaced yet and then overflowed to the base of the house, which then soaked into the space that is now lined with plastic, which then flooded an area that we actually use in the basement that's never had any problems with water before. Which also means it wasn't prepped for water damage. Nice huh? Thankfully I'm a tub/container freak and most of the stuff that got wet was in a plastic tub and were toys. I had to pile up everything last night and try to re-organize to the higher spots on the floor.

This is also my main workout area, so no Mr. Snarky or Jillian for me today. Actually yoga is probably a better call given the situation. I've called the facilities department and also made the paper trail by sending an email.... There's really not much else to do but wait and see what all happens.

Being from Southern California, we never knew what Weather was. Real weather. Out there if it rains two inches there's MAJOR accidents. (Oil from all the traffic make the roads crazy slippery and nobody really knows how to drive in the rain) People get grumpy and complain about the crappy weather. The news flashes headlines of StormWatch 2009. Time to panic! It's just rain people. And California is technically a desert. So rain = good. But that's not why people live there. The live there so they don't have to deal with weather inconveniences. Like flooded basements. (Wait, does anyone even have a basement in CA?) Paradise is 365 days of sunshine. yawn.

We don't belong in California anymore. One of the many reasons is Weather. We love Weather. Actual deviations from 75 and sunshine. During thunderstorms you'll most likely to find BigDaddy on our front porch watching the action. If it's just a warm summer rain, we're all out there and the kids are usually dancing in the yard with huge grins. Sometimes Sassy will even be wearing more than just her chonies! Yesterday we had a few passing storms and the kids couldn't believe we had hail on our yard. HAIL! BB grabbed some and put in with his rock collection for safe keeping. (Next came the talk about hail actually melting). I'm also happy I haven't had to water my garden in weeks. But now worried about over watering. I guess gardeners are always worried about something. Thankfully we usually get an 80 degree day or two thrown in the mix to dry things out a bit.

Out in the kinda country you deal with the Weather. Plan for the Weather. Dare I say, enjoy the Weather. BTW, You are all allowed to remind me of this post in late August when I'm miserable with our hot and humid WeatherI'm doing everything possible to stay cool in our non-central a/c rental house.

*Amazing Flickr photo courtesy of Thorsten Thees.

1 comment:

Nikki said...

When it rains there- it pours! We love weather too!!!!

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