At the end of the post for Day 2, I thought I would dump water and return to finish the post. It is now three hours, not 30 minutes later. The rain came again as did the water duties.

The rain comes in bands which is a blessing since we have breaks in “Water Duty” so we can rest and the water can try to recede. The effort to move water tonight for 2 1/2 inch an hour rain is more than was for 3 1/2 inch an hour rain last night. The ground is becoming saturated and it is not clear where the water will go or how much more will come.

I started counting water in my deli container marked with inches in red sharpie at 9:20 Saturday night. Before that we had rain but I don’t exactly know how much. I am guessing 6 inches. Now, we are at 28 hours since the hard rains started and at 31 1/2 inches or more.

We have major runoff issues from Mom’s 12 in 12 roof. There are no gutters so the water rolls off and lands on the ground. We have constructed all sorts of dams and levies and even our personal Bay of Fundy to try to keep the water under 1 foot deep. So far, so good. They are predicting an additional 8 inches of rain Monday and Tuesday tapering off to a few inches on Wednesday and Thursday but I don’t know what will actually happen. Yesterday I thought gutters would have helped redirect the rain, tonight I decided they would have just ripped off.

The side of the house has developed a pond but the foundation is a little higher so it is less concern than it could be. Dear Hubby took a spade and wacked the fence and then dug under the fence to release the water. We have used every kind of hose possible. If we ever get to the point to use the wet/dry vac we will have to go take the hose out from under the fence where it is operating as a drain.

Last spring we added a portable air conditioner to our bedroom and had extra HVAC hoses. One is channeling the runoff from the roof on the front of the house and another is the major part of our dam system in the back.

The water control system emerged as the rain increased and our creativity expanded. Had we had the luxury of building on a sunny day it would be better organized but trying to build and then adjust and shore up as the rain got harder and harder was not conducive to elegant design.

We have a long insulated HVAC hose acting as a downspout and dam. While I went upstairs to drill out the bottom of the Christmas Tree Stand to make a hose holder, DH took Mom’s ceiling to floor safety bar/pole she had in her shower before we traded it out for a walk-in tub. The pole was in the garage and is now helping anchor the Christmas Tree stand which holds the hose which holds back the water and forms the South wall of our Bay of Fundy where we can start a swirl of water with a large broom and rush out 20 gallons of water with a sweep.

The radio flyer is now in a different location and is being used to hold water rather than as part of the dam system. The gap showing is where we race the water through. We have strategically placed plastic garden edging that allows us to “bank” the water and create a whitewater river that flowed over the slight rise under the walkway and traveled down the driveway to join the flooded street.

Under the roof we have three 60 gallon tubs, a 30 gallon trash can, a recycle bin and a 30 gallon ice chest forming the balance of water system. When the rains come they have to be emptied twice an hour. A typical rain band lasts about an hour or an hour and a half and includes two rounds of emptying and the balance of time sweeping water.

Returning inside is a drippy affair but we just dump our clothes in the dryer and grab some more. I have had three sets of clothes rotating all day.

Sophie has been uncertain where in the water she should add her water. We have had to take her out on a lead to keep her safe. This photo was after a lull in the rain when the waters were receding.

I don’t have any photos of the feasts we have been having but the food at this Hurricane party has been outstanding. We still have power want water out of the pipes (not just the air) so we have the luxury of yummy dinners. One of Mom’s caregivers made the most yummy chicken salad with grapes tonight. Mom had three helpings. We also had three bean salad with two beans since we had yellow and green beans from our garden we brought but had no kidney beans. It was yummy regardless. I made tabouli with swiss chard from our garden since we had no parsley.  Last night we had homemade noodles with shrimp.

The news is reporting a several hour break in the rain and is recommending people set their alarms for two hours to take a nap. I think it sounds like a great idea.

Mom says she has never seen anything like this in her lifetime. I had to kid her a bit since the news has been reporting that many of the waterways have passed their 500 year mark. It sort of puts her 100 year flood memory in perspective.