still at it

Tackled the basement today. Not much progress. It is hard where to decide it is best to start. I ended up going from section to section as actions moved me around. Lots of work yet. Some stuff is definitely ruined. Some electronics, carpets, papers; maybe a couch and chair. My books are safe, some clothing I had in trunks is damp, but okay otherwise. I will plug away at it all day tomorrow and the next as well.

I have learnt I have two low points in the basement. One at the sump well, thankfully. The other? Diagonally across the basement from the sump well in the opposite corner. I have not tackled that corner yet. I have put down some cardboard hoping to soak up some of the mess. This is the worst part. The cold room is there as well. What makes it really bad is that I had a bag of black walnuts in their husks in the cold room. I kept meaning to take them out and move them to high ground. Well, I forgot. The husks have historically been used for making dark brown, nearly black, dyes. Let me tell you, it works. The "colour" leached out and it made the water in to a thick sludge. It is like a puddle of crude oil right now. It will be fun to clean that up tomorrow.

Most of the water has receded, but many farm fields are flooded, the creeks are still very high. It is spitting right now. Hopefully, we do not get any significant rain in the next little while. I have a second unused sump pump. I am going to sort through all my fittings and pipe and try to fashion a crude trash pump I can place in the sump well to discharge right out the basement window if it happens again. I will probably need to get a flexible hose though. I am also going to keep an eye out for a trash pump. Nothing big, but a gas powered pump could come in very handy if the power goes out and there is flooding too. I can use it to pump out the pool when we close it for the winter as well.

Many things have been learnt. As I am putting things back in their place, they are being raised. I also plan to raise the appliances down in the basement. Anything low will be in plastic containers. 

One thing I have not mentioned, I spilt a half a bag of sunflower seeds during the rush to get things off the floor during the initial flood. They are everywhere. I mean everywhere. They floated around all over the basement in to every corner, nook, and cranny. Tons of fun gathering those up. Fortunately, we do not have any mice or such that come in to the basement. 

Well, I will put in a couple of more hours in tonight. Fun, fun, fun. blbbl