The Great Bathroom Flood of 2008

Dateline: Bakersfield, California

The sun was shining for the first time in many days. One recently-returned-to-homemaker status woman was capitalizing on all the warmth and clear skies by giving her oven a good scrub down. She was expecting her sister, niece and nephew the following day for a weekend of family togetherness and wanted everything to be nice for them.

Then it happened. She felt the urge to visit the most private of rooms. She drew closer and a chill ran down her spine as a distinctive hissing sound emanated from behind a closed door.

::cue theme from Jaws::

She opened her bedroom door and every nerve in her body leaped to full alert status. A lake was forming throughout her master bathroom, threatening to engulf her bedroom as well.

RED ALERT!! DEFCON 5!! WHOMP-WHOMP-WHOMP!!!

Faster than she thought she could move, she swiftly lept over the pile of clean laundry at the foot of her bed, threw open the door, navigated the torrential waters spilling from the shower drain and spun the shut off valve into full stop mode! Now ankle-deep in water, she frantically searched the far reaches of her mind for any tool she could think of that would help her in this situation.


She remembered the Wet-Dry vacuum, purchased at a yard sale over 20 years ago and rarely used. Wading out of the bathroom, she squished her way to the garage where she last gazed upon her saving hope. It was perched on a window sill. She embraced it lovingly and carried it to her source of distress. But, alas, the yard-sale find had a power cord that had obviously been repaired more than once; it was only about 2 inches long.

Again, homemaker-woman sought a source for rescue in the garage. This time, she found an industrial extension cord. Dragging it up from the ground and winding the cord as she ran, she approached the flood zone one more time. With both tools hooked together, the suction device sprang into life, only to be gummed up by the dirt already inside the tank - a small detail missed by H.W. Following a quick and messy mud removal surgery, extraction began with gusto.

Nearly one hour and 25 full tanks later, the bathroom was spongy but navigable. By that time, the husband had come home to help with the heavy lifting. Dressers were moved, desks rotated, carpet and pad cut out and dumped; after 4 hours of hard work, most of the damage had been mitigated.

Assessment:

Lost in flood:







Favorite Cook Book. That's what I get for reading while indisposed and not picking up after myself. I'll miss you, Angel Biscuits.











Digital Scale with body fat analyzer. Purchased recently. Full understanding of product functions not yet realized by any member of this family.










Most beloved pair of Vans. Not ready to talk about it.



Gained in flood:

A renewed respect for the way hubby and I work together in a crisis. We may be impatient and demanding from time to time, but, when the chips are down, I wouldn't want anyone but him by my side.

Getting rid of that nasty bathroom carpet. Who puts carpet in a bathroom? It was there when we bought the house, so we lived with it. I'm glad I don't have to live with it any more...even though I may have to put up with nothing to walk on but a cement floor for a few months while we save the money for tile/re-tile supplies.

Confidence in myself. I didn't collapse into a heap when everything was crashing around me. I handled it, messy as it was. Good for me!

An opportunity to discuss with hubby how we can have joy in all situations; not because we like the situations, but because we serve a BIG God who is going to bring something good from this.

Hopeful anticipation of what good God is going to bring from this. Will we improve our budgeting skills? Will we end up with a beautiful retreat when all is done? I can't wait to find out!

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. - Romans 8:28, NLT