Saturday, March 12, 2011

down in the flood

Just checked the basement. The little stream is starting again.

It's above freezing and the snow banks are melting. The stream starts in the southwest corner; the land slopes upward on that side. It was a puddle a few hours ago, now a slow stream.

This time I'm ready. Yesterday I got everything up off the basement floor and went shopping. Wet vac to suck it up: check. Bleach to disinfect: check. Scented candles so my house doesn't smell like mud and bleach: check.

I poured a little bleach into the stream and mopped it up. I don't need it yet, and haven't taken it out of the box, but I've got a wet vac.  I got a 2.5 gallon Stinger from Home Depot. Only $19.99. I lit the candles; the house smells like spices and beeswax.

I thought about the tsunami in Japan as I mopped the basement floor. Sorry to make such a big deal out of a little stream in my basement when people are truly suffering. As soon as I'm done typing and mopping I'll send some reiki to Japan.

And Libya. Yemen, Egypt, sardines poisoned with neurotoxin... so much suffering in the world right now.

"Well that high tide's rising," as Bob Dylan sang. Back to my mop and vac.