Some days don’t go as planned
My Tuesdays start on Zoom at 7:00 am. This one was no exception. Since my later ones had been canceled, I decided I’d sleep in.
When I went out to feed at 8:00, it was raining. A nice little rain shower. It hadn’t rained for a couple of days, and still the corrals were sloppy. The kind of mud that can suck the boots right off your feet.
A Nervous Dog
Dalila goes with me to feed. She is also terrified of storms. Last year, she bolted and made it about two miles (if she took the most direct route) into town. I was trying to keep an eye on her.
I thought all the doors to the barn were closed so that she couldn’t get out. Alas, I noticed that Ace’s stall door was open. She could get out by going through the water that was standing in his run.
I looked around and couldn’t find her. I called her – nothing. I called some more. Finally, she came back. I took her up to the house so she wouldn’t run off again.
I had dumped Ace’s water the night before. Now I had a hose running to fill it. I decided that I had enough time to get him and could leave it running.
The horses didn’t like the rain. I had a little trouble getting one mare to go in to eat. I had to go out into the mud to halter the ones that I brought into the stalls. It was very slick. I almost ended up in the mud myself.
At some point, I remembered the hose was filling Ace’s water. I went to turn it off. It had run over. Fortunately, not very much.
Then two of the mares didn’t want to eat in the rain where their feed was. I stayed out to make sure Deano, the mini donkey, got his feed.
Now I was soaked, and my raincoat was dripping. I was glad I had slept in and not taken a shower before the early Zoom. Now I could take a nice hot shower and warm up.
I had a couple of other Zoom meetings, so John and I ate lunch around 1:00 pm. When John went back downstairs, he hollered for me to come down. Dalila had been down there, and I thought she had made a mess out of something or had found a new safe space.
A Basement Surprise
No – there was water running into the room with the furnace, water heater, sump pump, etc. in it. It sounded like someone had a faucet running.
We got something to catch some of it, and moved some boxes so they wouldn’t get wet.
I helped bail water until it seemed like a one-person job. Then I went upstairs to make phone calls.
When it has rained more than a little bit, water seeps into John’s bedroom. I’ve been trying to get the dirt contractor who had done drainage work here before I bought it to come look at it to see what could be done. Every time, he’s asked if the sump pump is working. I didn’t know.
I called the insurance agent to see if it would be covered. He said not unless the sump pump failed.
I called the plumbers out to see if there was something they could do. This water was coming through a gap under the plumbing line that leaves the house. The house has settled.
The plumber said that if they sealed the gap, the water could build up behind the wall until the wall fell apart. The sump pump was working. They thought it was a drainage problem outside the house. They did nothing.
John bailed water for two and a half to three hours.
A Makeshift Solution and a Familiar Spirit
Not wanting to have to bail water all night, we went to the hardware store and got some PVC to see if we could divert the water over to the sump pump.
John fashioned a series of PVC pipes joined by elbows, along with a funnel to direct it. Wouldn’t you know it, the water had stopped running by the time he finished it.
John reminded me a lot of his dad while he was doing this. He jumped right in to catch the water, then he designed and put together a diverter. Mike would have done the same thing.
I was thankful that he was here and for everything he did.
I realize this doesn’t compare to the devastation of my friends and family in Grinnell. I’m thankful no human lives were lost in those tornadoes.
It’s how we respond to situations, large and small, that makes a difference in the outcome. Do we handle it with grace, or do we panic?
How do you handle crises? Do you jump in and do what’s needed? Do you run around wondering what to do?
Working with the horses can help you stay grounded and respond to stressful situations in a more positive manner. Let’s talk about how the horses might benefit you.
Make a Connection in the comments below.
Onward!
