Wet Things

Dog people can relate when I make reference to the 'Season of Mud'.  It occurs each spring and to a lesser degree in the fall.  The Season of Mud falls into the current category of life I have dubbed Wet Things.  Other Wet Things of late include - our newly flooded basement, my drive home last night, today's rainfall, the neighbour's visit, the small barn, and the muskrats...

Okay, where to begin?  Alright, I'll do them in the order listed above.  Well, it does come across more as a spew of the last few days rather than an ordered list...

For hubby's second day at his new job, we got up at six o'clock.  We decided to follow the old work schedule, only instead of getting the bus at about 7:10, he'd take the car.  He has asked me to specifically be on hand to help him in the morning until the new routine is solidified.  So, we both got up at six o'clock.  The dog did not.

By 6:15 dog was eating his breakfast and I was making mine and hubby ventured downstairs - just like every work morning - to do his fitness workout.  "Oh!" he declared going down the stairs.  "There's water!" 

The next fifteen minutes were rather bewildering as we put on shoes and wandered around the basement taking in the impact. There was just over an inch of water.  It seems the sump pump had failed.  The boxes of unpacked books were piled all over.  The neatly stacked items unpacked and on the shelves had wet items below.  There were Wet Things everywhere.

Organization skills kicked in and we began to manage the Wet Things.  Awhile later hubby gently kicked the sump pump and it came on - and stayed on all day and for several more days.  We worked until about 10:30 salvaging boxes of books and many other Wet Things.  At this time the Service Master fellow showed up.  Hubby had to go to work - it was his second day!  A crew would be here by one o'clock - and they were.  The insurance company would work directly with Service Master.  The Wet Things would be taken care of.

I had a volunteer meeting in Ottawa the night before.  I had been there the day before that to attend a workshop.  I am getting tired of driving to Ottawa.  At any rate, it was decided that with the new job I should return home after the meeting.  I drove home through buckets of rain and many Wet Things.  I think the car might be clean now - the outside I mean as there's still chicken poop on the inside.

The rain continued off and on.  The animals were Wet Things in my day today.  Dog was too.  I didn't get too wet doing chores either in the morning or evening.  The rain is slowly taking away the snow and ice.  Each day more of the earth reveals itself to us, bits of our earth here that we have yet to know.

Just after the crew arrived the doorbell rang.  It was a large man who was one of the day's Wet Things since it was pouring rain when he arrived.  I invited him inside the door and we chatted.  He and his wife live just down the way.  He dropped by to introduce himself and said not to be afraid to drop in and see them.  They go south for three months of the winter and recently returned.  What a thoughtful Wet Things in my day.

Half of the garage is a barn, originally set up with box stalls for horses.  This is where the water tap is located.  The big barn was intended for hay storage and to provide loafing shed shelter.  I had originally planned to house the chickens and lambed ewes in this barn. The small barn has been under water since late February.  We thought it would drain away but it only got worse in March.  Before the chickens arrived on March 19th the water was in every corner of the small barn and that's when we made the decision to put the chooks in the big barn.  According to the seller it has never been such a Wet Thing.

When I finished up the evening's chores I had a look out at the field north of the barn.  The sheep are venturing further each day as the disappearance of snow allows.  The ice on the pond has melted a lot.  Staring back at me from the water were two muskrats, one for each muskrat house.  These Wet Things of course belong in the water.  It was a mutually pleasant introduction I think.