Rising Waters

We have made great headway with the yard work at home. We even filled up the fish pond to get ready for not only the goldfish (who have been on winter vacation at Jim R's house), but also it is time for 'Toad Fest'! In fact one toad couldn't even wait for the pond to get filled and jumped in as soon as it saw the water rising. It didn't even care that Dave was right there putting the stones in for the fish to hide in and critters to be able to climb out, should they fall in...or jump in, like the toad did.

The past two nights have been noisy with the toads calling and this morning we woke to lots of egg cases throughout the pond. Soon we will have tadpoles!

Unfortunately we had other waters rising up in Ticonderoga. For the first time in 14 years, our sump pump failed and there was almost a foot of yucky water in the entire cellar.

Dave managed to get it running by hitting the stuck switch with a rake while he reached out from the stairway. It took several hours for the water to drain down, until the motor finally quit for good. I was surprised it worked while underwater for most of the time. At least it lasted long enough so that there was 'only' about 40 gallons of water to be bailed into 5 gallon buckets and hauled upstairs to be thrown out. We have had a spare pump on hand for quite a few years and Dave installed it. Thank goodness we don't store much in the cellar, but we think the washer and dryer may need to be replaced despite being up on concrete risers. Dave tried to start them and all they did was dim the lights...not a good sign. Perhaps they will dry out and be okay. Same thing with the furnace, but we will wait until next time we go north to try it out. We will also pressure wash the cellar floor and walls, now that we know the water will be pumped out.

More projects for us, but that is what keeps us busy!