Two Catastrophes

Yesterday was the day of two catastrophes. First, the basement flooded. A simple glance down basement showed at least 3” of water, with the sub-pump sleeping on the job. Lynn-nore had long ago re-worked the basement so that everything was off the ground, so there was no need to panic. Still, all that water sitting there and the pump just sleeping away under its wooden trapdoor. Something had to be done!

Taking the broom from its nail beside stairwell, I managed to prop my foot up against the opposing wall, holding myself above the water and providing enough leverage to lift the submerged trapdoor. Bits of dust, cobweb and other unpleasantness pooled around, angry at my labor. And there it was, the pump itself, out cold.

A placed toe made a tentative hold on the trapdoor. I poked and whacked the quiet submersible, all to no avail. And then, just as I was about to give up, it whirred into life. The hose which came up out of the water quivered and shook and took the flood to who-knows where across the ceiling and out of knowing. I dropped the trapdoor and declared victory, going upstairs, then, to continue the Sunday morning sprint to church.

The second catastrophe was a power outage. A manhole just down the street shorted out under the heavy rain and turned back the clock 100 years just at the twilight of the day. Praise God the busy sub-pump had finished bailing us out. Candles came out of hiding and assembled in motley assortment on the living room table. Lynn-nore went at dug-in candle wax with a steak knife. Kara clapped her hands and jumped around the couch in excitement, and Caleb, observing the whole thing stretched out comfortably on the floor, cooed. I called the power company.

The power didn’t come on until 3:30am. I was sound asleep. Lynn-nore told me this morning that Kara’s lamp came on and she, too, did not notice. Lynn-nore got up and went around the house turning everything off – a modern problem, just when things get going again you turn them off as if to say, “Okay, our control over the elements is back in order now. No worries.” I got a good night’s sleep out of it, and woke up late on purpose: mischief minded.