Following the River

This morning, I woke to rain followed by gentle rolling thunder. The sound reminded me of our trip to Haiku a few years ago. As I was drifting back to sleep with Maui on my mind, the husband came barging into the bedroom and bellowed, “Get up, get up, the basement is flooding.” Sure enough, water was gushing in through the back wall and the sump pump wasn’t keeping up.

She handed me an appropriate movie. (Courtesy of Mary Kay)

Jess woke up during the commotion. I barked at her to take care of herself because we needed all hands below deck. We store most of our things in plastic bins, but not everything was out of harm’s way. 

Husband couldn’t find the backup pump. As he dashed toward the door to make a run for the Depot, I said, “Get two before we have an indoor pool.” Moments later, Jess didn’t skip a beat and handed me her swimsuit. I think she’s disappointed to learn that I didn’t mean this literally … a girl can dream. I love her glass-half-full outlook on life.

When I returned upstairs, there was a text from husband: “It’s killing me they don’t open until 8. Another 10 minutes.” Things were floating by the time he returned. It didn’t take him long to get the two new pumps working. When the water began to recede, it took our anxiety along with it. I’m just grateful we were home when this happened.

We were supposed to have our lawn mowed today. The grass is tall and turning to seed, and it looks like a meadow. The Mower had gotten behind and had promised to be here today. While we were bailing out, the Mower texted about what to do (he knew he wasn’t going to keep his word and was making sure I knew it). After sharing our crisis de jour, he said he’d bring a cow tomorrow. It’s good to laugh. On second thought, if I fence the property, I know of several horses who would enjoy our pristine pasture.

When I’m in a quiet panic, Jess has learned to stay out of the way. She reminds me of Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” (the link is on my bucket list). After falling into a pigsty, Aunt Em said, “It was no place for her. … Now, you just help us out today and find yourself a place where you won’t get into any trouble.” 

Captain, he’s “out standing in his field.” LOL (Courtesy of Mary Kay)

A place where there is no trouble? This is a tall order for an Angel (though we are not from New Zealand, I love this AS link), however, Jess didn’t take advantage. I know she is aware of the house rules/boundaries. If I’m under the weather and napping on the couch, she lingers with me, keeping her impulse control in check. It’s not her strongest suit, but as an adult, I’m now able to trust her 98 percent of the time.

Once the basement was back in order and I was upstairs, Jess greeted me with a smile and handed me a movie, “Follow the River.” How appropriate! I don’t know where she found this! Obviously, she read the title. Oh my gosh, I think we need to cuddle on the couch and watch. As far as Jess is concerned, movies are the great equalizer. Just gotta love how her mind works.

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