Summer Floodin', Had Me a Blast ...

I ran downstairs to grab the detergent to hand wash a few things and was in for a terrible surprise. We have a trail of rugs that lead from the staircase to the washer and dryer because the floor is ... ummm ... disgusting. I tried my hardest to scrub it clean when we moved in, but it is the scariest basement I have ever seen; we affectionately refer to it as the "Silence of the Lambs" basement. Thank god we are only renting. Anyway, as soon as I stepped onto the rug in the basement, I heard a horrifying squish sound and my bare foot instantly sent a message to my brain. It went a little like this: "Oh, shit ..."

We talked to the neighbors and there is such a problem with ground water here that it can actually seep into the houses at any given time, but they had never had that much of an issue with it. So, we investigated further, and our drain in the middle of the basement floor was also backed up, and it seems that the dehumidifier that we were assured was working properly was not, in fact, working at all. So, there was standing water all over the basement.

Our landlord came and monkeyed around with some tools (though I don't have the slightest idea what she was actually doing), but the basement was still full of water, and all the stuff that we had in the basement was wet and/or moldy, but certainly revolting. So we had to throw a bunch of things away and then stand in the water discussing how to divide up the rest of our belongings between the tiny, sweltering attic (where things could be melted or otherwise damaged) and the tilty garage that could collapse at any moment (which, of course, is why we had stuff in the basement to begin with).

And now, we still have piles in the bedroom that leads to the attic that Jeremy wants to "discuss" with me before he puts it all up there (read: he wants to get rid of some of my precious belongings).

But, I did sneak away to buy food to grill tonight and when we were done with all the horrible, disgusting work in the basement, we had a lovely dinner. And, we are going to have a dessert of ice cream after the battle royale about the attic. Yum!! So, even though I still have some more unpleasantness to deal with, at least it will be sandwiched with good food.