Paradise salvaged
Sep. 23rd, 2009 12:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jack_babalonThere was one more flood yesterday afternoon. It hit shortly after I awoke from a four hour power nap after finally getting the place under control around 8 in the morning. I met this new deluge with a stoic resignation. There was no longer a place in me to register shock or alarm. I still hadn't eaten since last night. Zombie tired despite the snatch of sleep. Exhaustion buzzed. Shock Zen empty headed - I methodically went about containing the spill with the infatiguable strength of a somnabulist.
Then a musician buddy of Bill's showed up with a wet-vac back up. He hit the main room and I kept the flood from hitting the computer room. Between the two of us we had the place dry within an hour. Then Teddy Bear arrived to do a quick smoke and lunch run for me, while I cleaned up. His woman lives nearby and on the way other he described the houses submerged under water off neighboring Summit Ridge and Northcrest. It was then that I started piecing together the extent of the damage and it was bad. Worse still, everyone started telling me to expect more rain that night or early morning. Thankfully it would seem my all night writing session allowed me to be awake Sunday night and able too address the flood before any of the furniture or appliances could get damaged. Serotonin dry and exhausted since then, I wasn't sure if I could make it up for another round.
Later, as I was finally eating, I got word from Bill that he was on his way back to relief me of my watch. He would be in at midnight to help with any further wet work that might threaten the house. He arrived at eleven to dry skies and a dry house. We played catch up. We had to shit can some water damaged throw rugs and the dry wall would have to be scrapped behind the bar... but other than that the place was ship shape.
We braced ourselves for a long night...
... and woke up instead the next morning into what would be a bright, beautiful clear skied day. My first taste of sunlight in about two weeks. I threw my arms open in the driveway, eyes closed and I felt something dried up inside me start to fill back up, some sort of solar battery connected to my mood. Autumn comes in a triumph of light after what felt like a very grueling summer.
Today was a welcome reprieve from the last few days here. A chance to catch up with my friend. To sleep in. To eat out and stuff ourselves silly. To bake steadily in the glow of a well earned TV. For a game of cribbage and some much needed concrete patch work. A tug line has been attached through the bar wall to the float valve on the sub pump - so no one has to climb through the caverns and the mud to activate it manually.
All is well here in Arcadia... and tomorrow I go home to a very sick Vee, who along with Firecracker the Cat, miss me terribly.
But that's tomorrow.
For now one last night of quiet and reflection. Late night ambient music and Sudoku before returning back.
Before I go, I need to give my sincerest thanks for any of you who sent their prayers and worked their spells on behalf of my very sleep exhausted request. Today was a shot of paradise in the arm. Even if the rains should fall again tomorrow I am at least rested up enough to handle, for the time being at least, whatever else may come.
Again, thank you.
Then a musician buddy of Bill's showed up with a wet-vac back up. He hit the main room and I kept the flood from hitting the computer room. Between the two of us we had the place dry within an hour. Then Teddy Bear arrived to do a quick smoke and lunch run for me, while I cleaned up. His woman lives nearby and on the way other he described the houses submerged under water off neighboring Summit Ridge and Northcrest. It was then that I started piecing together the extent of the damage and it was bad. Worse still, everyone started telling me to expect more rain that night or early morning. Thankfully it would seem my all night writing session allowed me to be awake Sunday night and able too address the flood before any of the furniture or appliances could get damaged. Serotonin dry and exhausted since then, I wasn't sure if I could make it up for another round.
Later, as I was finally eating, I got word from Bill that he was on his way back to relief me of my watch. He would be in at midnight to help with any further wet work that might threaten the house. He arrived at eleven to dry skies and a dry house. We played catch up. We had to shit can some water damaged throw rugs and the dry wall would have to be scrapped behind the bar... but other than that the place was ship shape.
We braced ourselves for a long night...
... and woke up instead the next morning into what would be a bright, beautiful clear skied day. My first taste of sunlight in about two weeks. I threw my arms open in the driveway, eyes closed and I felt something dried up inside me start to fill back up, some sort of solar battery connected to my mood. Autumn comes in a triumph of light after what felt like a very grueling summer.
Today was a welcome reprieve from the last few days here. A chance to catch up with my friend. To sleep in. To eat out and stuff ourselves silly. To bake steadily in the glow of a well earned TV. For a game of cribbage and some much needed concrete patch work. A tug line has been attached through the bar wall to the float valve on the sub pump - so no one has to climb through the caverns and the mud to activate it manually.
All is well here in Arcadia... and tomorrow I go home to a very sick Vee, who along with Firecracker the Cat, miss me terribly.
But that's tomorrow.
For now one last night of quiet and reflection. Late night ambient music and Sudoku before returning back.
Before I go, I need to give my sincerest thanks for any of you who sent their prayers and worked their spells on behalf of my very sleep exhausted request. Today was a shot of paradise in the arm. Even if the rains should fall again tomorrow I am at least rested up enough to handle, for the time being at least, whatever else may come.
Again, thank you.
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no subject
on 2009-09-23 02:51 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2009-09-28 05:02 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2009-09-23 03:14 pm (UTC)http://twitpic.com/itrs9
(lemme know if you can't see the pic)
no subject
on 2009-09-28 05:04 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2009-09-23 05:51 pm (UTC)I live on the west coast, which we sometimes call the Wet Coast, but we usually don't have the kind of floods you described. Fortunately I live on fairly high and well-drained ground.
no subject
on 2009-09-28 05:07 pm (UTC)We had something like 22 inches of rain in one weekend, which is really unusual for Georgia. Still we survived.
no subject
on 2009-09-28 05:31 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2009-09-28 09:34 pm (UTC)