Oh the February Rain

"Oh, the rain came down and the floods came up,
The rain came down and the floods came up"

Oh, this song has brought on new meaning the last couple of weeks.

Jotham has been ever so diligent in watching the water and keeping us dry.

We knew it would be a wet spring when the sump pump turned on in January. But we weren't even mildly prepared for this much water. Its unlike anything we've seen since and that poor little sump pump is still running night and day. We count the seconds in between cycles as we lay in bed at night, to gauge how high the water is.

Jotham's had to take two days off work just to keep up with the water and keep us dry! 

Hundreds of dollars in pumps and hose. And hours and hours of labor.

and then it would keep on raining...

I went out to add gas to the pump one afternoon. The water was just inches below the rim on my muck boot, and probably up to my waist in some spots.  But the real trick was maneuvering and trying to keep my footing because underneath all that water was still a thick layer of ice. 

With the ground frozen there just isn't anywhere for the water to go.

Finally the water master let us break into the canal bank and that has saved us!

This washed out road is just down the road past our house.

We were pretty proud of ourselves, thanks to being proactive, 

good neighbors and Jotham's hard work, our basement has stayed dry.

Just a couple of inches in the garage that we were able to deal with quickly.

Our neighbors haven't all fared quite as well.  

Jotham made the news and was interviewed by Channel 2  

when he was out helping a neighbor sand bag. 

And then when we thought the worst was over.

the power polls started tipping over in the high wind because

the ground was saturated and just wouldn't support them any more.

And thus ensued an eight hour long black out.

The younger kids enjoyed doing their homework next to the lanterns,
The older kids balked because they couldn't do theirs without a computer.

But as the hours dragged on and on,
and the sump pump lay silent for the first time in weeks.
We nervously watched the water rise.

I fixed dinner on top of the wood burning stove that night,
and counted our blessings all while mentally making lists of
things I need to do to prepare better for an emergency.

After chasing down generators, with two failed attempts under our belts, 

a faithful neighbor came to our aid and turned on the sump pump.

Hallelujah! 

"And the house on the rock stood still."