At 2:30 AM, the rumbling thrum of the sump pump woke me from a not-so-deep sleep. It was cycling on as frequently as when the hurricanes passed through a couple of months ago.
In my half asleep state, I stumbled downstairs to make sure there was nothing on the basement floor that would be damaged by rising rainwater, then trudged back up to peek outside to see how things looked - besides wet, I mean.
You know how earthworms crawl out of the soil during heavy downpours, seeking drier ground? I counted a dozen of them on the concrete pad at the bottom of the steps. That's a lot of worms in one spot, but the one that alarmed me was the one trying to climb the trunk of the dogwood outside the back door.
This is not a good sign.
The only thing to do is make a nice cuppa, then go back to bed. It's supposed to rain steadily like this for another twelve or so hours.
I hope the worms find higher ground and make it through the night. I'd offer them some tea, but that's probably the last thing they'd want right now.
'Night, y'all.
7 comments:
I'd always thought "cuppa" was an Anglicism - not that you're prevented from using it of course. I remember when Plutarch visited us while we were living in the USA. Deliberately I started using the phrase "downtown Pittsburgh" to excess, knowing that sooner or later he'd start using it. And he did. I was forced to use US idiom in the USA because shopkeepers ignored me if I didn't; some I took to (especially all baseball slang), some I didn't - tad, for instance. I'd like to have used dogwood if we'd had one.
One mystery: how did peep (UK) become peek (US)?
I didn't realize just how heavily it had rained (I must have slept like a log last night) until I was already off the mountain and saw how high the streams were. I should have checked the basement for water this morning. Too late now. I can only hope everything is okay.
Hope your head is still above water, and the sump pump is still bailing away. I do know a place where it's dry and warm, though. It's a bit of a drive, but....
Talked to Kate last night, she's having 20 people over for t'giving dinner. Girls a glutton for punishment, apparently.
Cheers,
Mike
one that alarmed me was the one trying to climb the trunk of the dogwood outside the back door.
That's a pretty funny image.
And you're right, they probably wouldn't want to drown in your tea :)
Ground water still high, I assume, and any rain would put it over.
One never knows what a worm will want.
I drink several cups of tea with breakfast; without it I find it difficult get myself into the day.
Your tea looks a strange colour - may be your milk is heavily creamed - I use skimmed milk, and no sugar, and very importantly, it must be hot. What is the norm in your part of the world?
BB: I learned of 'cuppa' many years ago, when I attended a tea conference in Connecticut, with the intention of opening a tea shop/tea room.
As to the etiology of peek, opposed to peep, I have no idea. I only knew peep as a hatchling chicken, or as a person who likes to spy on others by peeking through their windows, or as slang for eyes and eyeglasses.
Hello, Carolyn: I hope all is dry at your place. Are your hens okay?
Mike: Your Kate is one very brave and generous woman. Twenty people for dinner sounds more like a nightmare to me.
HKatz: By the time I left for work Wednesday morning, the rain had slowed to a drizzle and all the worms were gone. Had a lot of chirpy birds in the back yard, though.
Zhoen: High ground water must be the reason the basement flooded so quickly, because it beganleaking almost as soon as the rain began.
Re: what worms want - true enough!
Sir Hugh: The cuppa isn't mine. I found the image online because I wasn't awake enough to photograph my cup. I find tea soothing when I need it to be and invigorating when I need a swift kick.
As to what the norm is for tea over here, unless you ask specifically to have your tea brewed using boiling water (for black tea, I mean), you'll receive a bag/sachet of not very good fannings and a small metal carafe of almost hot enough water that's been simmering in a coffee carafe on a hot plate. Higher end restaurants and coffee shops who have been taught better will prepare a decent pot of tea, though you might still have to ask for freshly boiled water.
I use light cream in masala chai (aka Indian railway tea) which is more dessert than a regular cuppa; 2-percent milk otherwise. I drink greens and white straight, as well as oolongs, pouchongs and souchongs. I like varietals over blends, usually, although I do blend some of my own recipes. In really cold weather, I like the smoked teas, sweetened a bit with cherry jam, honey or maple syrup.
Having said all that, I confess that my favorite chug-a-lug tea is Red Rose, originally from Canada. I haven't been able to find the Canadian blend here in the States, but once. I like it better than the Amercianized blend I buy, but both make good cups. The tea I use for iced tea is Luzianne, blended for Southern sensibilities and to withstand lots of ice cubes.
That was more than you asked for, wasn't it? Sorry about that - I like tea.
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