Egg cups for Friday. The angry looking chick on the left was a gift from my mom. Two beautiful transferware egg cups on the left and right. The egg cup with the feet is Walking Ware from England. A beautiful blue ironstone egg cup in the middle – old and very heavy. An egg cup from Prague – a gift from my husband, along with the handprinted egg (also from Prague.) The bear egg cup was a recent gift from my dear friend Lynne and Sean. And the wood and porcelain egg cup was a gift from my Mom. The painting is by my friend Christie Repasy.
Yesterday’s “adventure” – We had torrential rains yesterday, as did a lot of the country. Endless, most of the day, and at times, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Late in the afternoon, while listening to something on the radio, I realized I was hearing something loud. It was the sump pump, which wasn’t stopping after pumping water out of our 1891 basement (entered from the outside, and sort of spooky).
So, I grabbed my rain slicker, put on my muck boots and braved the outside. I moved the stones that hold the tarp down (which covers the old wooden door) and I carefully went down the stairs and sure enough, it was the sump pump. I got it to stop. Then I stayed down there for quite a while to see if it would reengage and stop on its own. It did. There was a lot of water in the basement.
Back up the steps. Closed the door. Put the tarp back over the door. Went inside. Took off boots. Happened to look through the kitchen window and realized that water was flooding the street from the section of culvert that is just to the left of our driveway. Amazingly, a big sofa cushion that I had seen way down the street (apparently fell off someone’s car) earlier in the day, was now being sucked into the culvert drain and the water had nowhere to go but the street. It was way too big to actually move through that pipe, so it just stayed there, blocking the path of the water.
Back into my slicker and boots. I walked down the driveway, figured out where I needed to stand to reach the cushion, and, in the midst of rush hour traffic, grabbed the cushion. The suction was so strong that I could hardly move it, but after several tugs, I managed to pull it away from the culvert. It was so heavy and so wet that I had to drag it to the side of the mailbox, where it still is. (Not only is it big and awkward, it’s ugly.)
Back inside. It wasn’t long before the damn sump pump got stuck once again. This happened at least four more times. I don’t know whether it’s starting to fail or if something was in the way that kept the float from dropping. I even walked around to the side of the house to see if the pipe was clogged. No. I unplugged it, but then thought the better of it as the rain had stopped and the amount of water headed toward the sump pump had greatly decreased.
I’ll have our oil guy, who is also a plumber, look at it.
Oy. What a day.
Don, this is why I need you here.
Happy Friday.
Claudia, my heart sank for you, as I read your sump pump stories. So sorry. I certainly hope today is a better day.
Love your egg cups by the way. Also love the idea of your Don’s connection to OK. Take care and have a better weekend. Becky
It is already better – it isn’t raining! xo
Crazy weather and a crazy day my friend. It is windy and cold here but the sun is shining so it’s a great day (also it’s Tiger’s birthday). Hugs to you.
Happy Birthday to Tiger!
When I moved to Indiana in 1998, sump pumps were new to me. I’m from the desert! Within 4 days of arriving here, my basement started to flood. Found out the sump pump didn’t work! Bought a new one. For the next 8 years, it was fine. My ex worked out of town for long periods. It was during one of the trips that the pump blew! I had water up past my knees in the basement. Between myself, 3 daughters, my pastor and two friends, it took use 6 hours to clean up the mess! So glad I didn’t keep the house in my divorce!
I love your egg cups. I have four and they are just pastel colours. I made little egg cosies for the tops.
Have a good weekend. Safe travels when you go into the city. Hope Don is well.
We had a flooding issue right after we moved in, too. But it was due to a pipe that was in the wall that connected to an outdoor watering ‘system’ – I use that word loosely. It was on the day that was dubbed “The 100 Years Rain.” Finally, we plugged the hole!
i audibly groaned when i read the title of this post … and all i did was read it, not live it. claudia … sorry you had to go through all that! you calling it an “adventure” is a good sign of a positive attitude that will help see you through! glad you have the oil guy/plumber who can help, too, while don is away.
we had beautiful weather here yesterday (sunny, 60 degrees) and even warmer weather is forecast for today and next week. hope you get to enjoy it, too – and have a fun weekend!
kathy in iowa
I hope so. It’s supposed to get really warm on Monday and Tuesday.
My favorite saying now is “a girls gotta’ do what a girls gotta’ do”!!!! After all the rain we’re supposed to have a beautiful weekend. Hope the same is in store for you.
I hope we do. I think the best of it will come on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
M y oh My! Sometimes we just have to plunge ahead and do what needs to be done, no matter how miserable. We don’t have a choice. That cushion clog was just plain crazy! The chances of it ending up causing so much trouble leave you shaking your head in disbelief. A day for The Annals of Mockingbird Hill Cottage. Wishing you a rainless day with plants sprouting all round, and springtime sunshine.
If you aren’t familiar with Julie at Little Cotton Rabbits (Meredith may know her), check out her little rabbit egg cosy on her Instagram or her blog. They are knitted and so sweet they touch your heart. The first time I saw your egg cup with the legs, I thought of Julie’s egg cosy for an egg on top! She offers the patterns for sale so many make them. If you have ever seen her full size rabbits (and other animals) with their unbelievably beautiful little outfits, you don’t forget those little faces and their clothes. They are little knitted works of art. Practically impossible to buy because she only makes a group for sale a few times a year. There is such demand, she has to use a lottery type system for the sale. Dianne
PS Julie is at http://www.littlecottonrbbits.typepad.co.uk and littlecottonrabbits Instagram
xo
Oh my goodness! I just went to her blog and I am in LOVE with that little rabbit cozy!! I am going to explore her blog later today. Right now, it’s bookmarked! Thanks, Dianne.
So glad you saw her egg cosy (UK—-cozyUS)) and loved it. It may help to have a little info about Julie. She has a seriously severely autistic son who lives at home. She takes care of herself with her nature walks and knitting is her creative outlet. She is a knitter extraordinaire! I have been reading her blog almost since the beginning when her son Toby was a little boy. The rabbit-animal posts are scattered throughout the blog when she is doing a group and are unforgettable. Each little face fills your memory and they do stay in your mind. there was one in the Christmas group I still think about! She does do a giveaway every once in a while. The sale lottery is somewhat elaborate. She posts each animal separately on her blog and you sign up to buy in the comment for each individual animal (hundred of comments per animal). A random generator them picks a number from each group of comments. The winner for each animal then purchases it through Etsy. The sold animals can be seen on Etsy. Hope you enjoy her work; it is exceptionally positive and worthwhile and appreciating it is especially joyful in these times. Dianne
I’ve followed Julie’s blog for years as well. I was so happy when she started selling her patterns. Very reasonable and doable. I’ve made many rabbits and rabbit cosies. I put a little bag of small eggs inside an egg cup covered with a rabbit as gifts. Adorable!!!
I can’t wait to make a rabbit cozy!
I will have to go back and read her posts. She sounds lovely.
She also takes the most beautiful pictures. I’ve learned so much about England. Her knitting is extraordinary. I know you will enjoy getting to know her.
Anyone who can design such delightful, whimsical bunnies has to be someone I will enjoy getting to know. xo
Also check out Lucy at Attic 24. She lives in Skipton, England. She’s a crochet artist!! It’s fun to look at anyway!
I do know of Lucy. I’m more of a crocheter than a knitter and I like her blog.
I got a sick feeling in my stomach when I read the title of the post. Nothing worse than a sump pump that either doesn’t work….or can’t keep up. I have had an adventure myself while home for Spring break with my parents and a flooded basement at 3 a.m. You are a brave soul! Glad you knew what to do. Hope your day today will be a better one…and you can dry out! ;)
I do too. I’m off to an antique shop – I think I deserve a treat!
You do deserve a treat. Hope you find one!! ;)
xo Me too!
Why is it that things you can’t fix always go wrong when the husband is gone on business and won’t be home anytime soon? At least when your husband is home the two of you can talk over the problem and get it fixed, either by him or a professional. Not being in it all alone is what matters. But you sound like you were able to make the decision and move on. Good for you. Now go out and have a great time! Yes, you really do deserve it.
Always seems to be the case! It’s not that Don is all that handy, but having him here by my side would have made things much easier.
Thanks, Tana!
I think you handled the situation well. I knew we had water in our cellar ( basement) when I heard what sounded like moving day. Boxes being dragged , that was husband moving holiday decoration boxes in basement. Water was coming in from a small crack by back door down to the cellar. Note how I change under place name. He is now waiting for a couple of days for cement to dry and then cement over crack. He then says he knew that time crack was there but didn ‘t anticipate the down hill river from all this rain. Driveway head down to street. I still think you were splendid, good job. Stay dry have a good weekend
No rain in the forecast – at least for a while, Mary. Thank you!
Poor Claudia! It’s no fun when the weather causes troubles. Hopefully, there will be more pleasant days regarding the weather (and anyway) ahead of you. All the best! Regula
It’s supposed to warm up and I will soon be able to get out and clean up the garden, so that is good news!
Oh, my stomach sank when I saw your title today. Glad you were able to get it to work. And the cushion…. that was crazy!! Bet that never happens again in your lifetime ~ at least we will hope not!!
The wind has subsided here and we have sun. 70’s this weekend! So ready for that. I know it is headed your way. Have a fabulous Friday!
The cushion is definitely one of the more bizarre things I’ve witnessed. Truly unbelievable. We have the 70s coming in a couple of days Then back down to the fifties.
Oh my goodness, this reminds me yet again of that awful winter when you were alone and the ice would build up on the roof/gutters and you were climbing around trying to work with all that nuisance! I am not embarrassed at all in these cases to say that I need a man around the house; they’re bigger and stronger most of the time and can do these tasks more easily. I applaud you for being so vigilant; you had to be! I somewhat recently had to get up on a ladder to reattach a downspout…nothing compared to what you just went through…but it was in the rain and I don’t do ladders well. But my husband wasn’t going to be home for days yet, and I didn’t want all that splash against the house and pooling where I didn’t want any water. We risk injury when doing this kind of stuff, with nobody to see if we’re then in trouble. You must have been exhausted from just the physical nature of such chores and then the mental fatigue from worrying about it. I hope today is better!
For me and him last night? Glued to Rachel. And news unfolding…
I don’t like ladders very much either. They make me nervous. I don’t trust Trump’s reasons for launching the attack. He didn’t seem to mind when it happened in 2013 and he urged Obama not to take action. Assad should be gone, for sure, but I wish a steadier hand was handling this.
Glad you were able to alleviate the problems, and hope no more come your way. There were heavy rains last night here, and very windy, up to 60+ mph in my area. Fortunately, no damages other than a few leaves torn from a couple of plants and an overturned metal garden sculpture. Nothing like your major ordeal. Yuck, I hate basements. I’m built on a concrete slab, like most newer California homes. No attic either, so there is a severe lack of storage space (hence cars in driveway, junk in garage…)
We have essentially the same situation. No garage, no attic and an old basement that is very tiny and damp – we can’t store anything there.
I’m so fortunate that because of where my house is located (on a hill) the water flows away from it and not into the house. My sweetie, on the other hand, has two sump pumps in his basement and yet sometimes they can’t keep up. The perils of living on a flat piece of land in an old farmhouse! Our weather is looking up starting Sunday…..I already put in for a vacation day on Tuesday so I can spend the whole day in the garden! If I didn’t have a meeting on Monday I would have taken that day as well, I’m so anxious to get out there and start getting the gardens cleared out for spring!
Our sump pump hasn’t been needed for the past year or so. This is the first deluge that has gone on for so long that it kicked on. Someone is coming to look at it on Monday. Enjoy your time in the garden. I can’t wait to get out there, too!
We live on a flat piece of land so our sump pump goes on continually during the rainy season. It has pretty much run non-stop these past couple of weeks. We have a battery back-up hooked up to the sump pump so that if the electricity goes out, at least we have another six hours. Still makes me paranoid though, because we’ve had bad storms where the electricity has been out for many hours, even an entire day. Wish we could afford a whole house generator!
We would love a generator, too, but they’re so expensive! As you know, we’ve had a couple of major power outages in the last couple of years.
We had the heavy rain too…hot great for me when I had to go out…really great for my flowers!
Not at all great to have to go out in! I stayed in.
Our sump pump has been running non-stop for the past week, too, Claudia. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for both of us that our pumps hold out!!! Have a good weekend!
Come on, sump pumps! Hang in there!
What an awful day for you, Claudia! I feel your pain! Our basement flooded two days ago in our new to us, but very old house. No sump pump here either, but we are obviously going to need to have one put in. At least I had hubby here – I feel bad for you that Don isn’t there to help you out, but you handled it like the strong and resourceful woman that you are!
P.S. I am very much enjoying see your egg cups again. I love that display of them on the shelf with the vintage picture.
Thank you!
Thank you, Lily. Thank goodness there is no rain in the forecast for a few days!
Sorry about your pump problem. It seems owning a house like a car always brings problems. Have a great week end and enjoy the better weather.
Marilyn
Thank you, Marilyn!
Gracious, Claudia,
This is hard on you! I had read about so much rain but you are having a few more problems with that rain. I bet you are counting the days for Don to be home . Rough times there dear. Rough times. I am so sorry.
He won’t be home until July, Katheryn!
You know; in retrospect I should have said er….weeks… but I could not bring myself to say months, Claudia, even to a gal I know has the time counted to the exact day and hour. (I would)
I just hope your home and the weather are kind to you whilst doing this alone. Sometimes my hope of making some things shorter come up short and I oughta’ just be a realist, but you have had a rough time of it. My “days” here, are in truth, months and that stings; I know.
Get real Katheryn, it bites!
xoxo
I feel your sump pump pain, Claudia! We’ve had problems with ours (including a flooded basement – twice) over the years. Now that I’m in my mid-50’s and Brian in his late 50’s, my mind already starts to go to the “what if” stage…what am I going to do if we’re still living here and Brian goes before me? There’s no way I can handle this house on my own. Not to mention, I already hate the steep stairs going down into our basement. Now I can see why middle-aged and the elderly want to live in a one level house!
I have those same thoughts, Melanie. I don’t think I could keep up with it – not to mention the property and the snow blowing, etc.
Please be careful around that culvert pipe! A dear friend of my husbands was pulled in by that suction you spoke of when he tried to clear leaves out of a culvert pipe, and he was killed. I was nervous just reading about your doing that.
I wasn’t down in the culver, Jenny. I was above it on the road. Thanks.