August 26

Yesterday was harrowing for many reasons, and I want to write them all out for posterity.

We woke at 6am to the sound of my father-in-law bailing water out of our basement, which had flooded. Water bubbling up from under our front walk – the well line had broken, so I shut off our water. Spent the next few hours drying it out. Talked to the people that installed the well, who told us he would need an excavating tool which he did not have to get through any tree roots, etc., to fix it.

Brief work phone call to find out our project end date has been moved up 2 months by our client, to October 1. No pressure, but not something you expect to hear very often.

Occasional social media checks show someone shot 3 protesters in Kenosha, killing 2. Horrifying details emerge over the rest of the day, interspersed with hurricane and pandemic news.

Called several neighbors, checked BBB, to get names of excavators. Couldn’t get ahold of anyone until mid- to late-afternoon, and no one would be able to come out today.

Took a walk to blow off steam with the wife. Saw a couple small squirrels cross the road ahead of us. When we catch up to that point, we are startled by a snake who, upon further inspection, is eating one of the squirrels. Ominous.

Heard back from insurance company, who will cover the water damage but not the well repair (apparently a standard practice). Understandable but disappointing. Also, they have no contacts to suggest for the repair – more disappointing.

Wildcat strike by the Milwaukee Bucks, followed by the rest of the NBA teams on that days schedule, then WNBA, MLB, and MLS. Baller move, fills me with hope. I hope this pushes things forward in the right direction.

Here’s hoping August 27 is better.