here comes the flood

Me and my freakishly long toes, standing in the water in my basement near my infrared sauna this morning. 
You can see the water soaking into the sauna floor.

Today, I had planned to meet an old college friend for lunch in Ann Arbor. I haven't seen him since maybe 1992, so I was really excited to catch up with him and discuss how much has changed since then. I imagined a long, lingering lunch, filled with funny stories of the past, interesting stories of our lives today, maybe a bittersweet tear or two.

So I woke up, drank coffee, and hopped in the shower. Then I printed a map to the restaurant, cleaned out my purse, put on makeup, and got dressed. The final, easiest task was to get clean socks from the dryer in the basement, put on my shoes, and leave. I scampered down the steps . . . and into 4" of water. I couldn't process it right away. Why were my feet wet? Why was the bowl of cat food floating slowly past the doorway? When it finally dawned on me that my storm drain was clogged yet again (this happened to me five years ago, but I only got an inch of water that time), all I could do was scream "CRAP!!!!!"

Crap for being such a packrat and disorganized slob that 4" of water in the basement could ruin everything sitting in cardboard boxes on the floor. Crap that I had let the basement get so filled with stuff in the first place. Crap that I would have to call my friend and cancel, and then deal with the sloggy mess.

I called a plumber to come and snake out the drain, then made a claim with my homeowner's insurance. I am most concerned that my treadmill and my new infrared sauna will sustain the most damage. The other stuff - boxes of more Christmas decorations, boxes of whatever, and piles of laundry - can for the most part be washed or dried. Luckily, the water was clean-ish melted snow, flooding the basement after a few days of 50 degree weather and rain. Nothing bacteria ridden or disgusting. I'd post more photos of the waterlogged mess, but frankly, my basement completely embarrasses me.

Here's a New Year's resolution: I will no longer use cardboard boxes for storage!! As soon as I sort out what I'm saving or tossing, I'm taking my disorganized self to Target for plastic storage bins with lids. And the really important stuff, like photos, papers, and other memorabilia, will be stored in the attic. What is wrong with me? How did things get so bad? Oh! And the other resolution? Yearly appointments with the plumber to spin the roots out of my storm drain. It's either that or pay $4,500 to have my yard dug up and tiles replaced, and I really can't see myself getting all excited about that.

Although I'm dreading the massive cleanup of dirty water residue, and the mud, roots, and general yuck that got spun onto the floor during the drain cleaning, I really cannot complain. People have survived horrible floods and lost their entire houses and everything they own. I can't imagine that. I am just inconvenienced and forced to organize and clean something that should have been done a long time ago. I may have lost a boom box, carpeting, and a power drill, but those are replaceable items. On the positive side, at least I'll start the new year with a sparkling fresh basement.

And on an even happier note, please enjoy this photo of my nieces posing in a rare, sweet sisterly moment. They're wearing the flannel nightgowns I made them for Christmas.