Impromptu pool party

[cid]

Brrrrring...
...
Brrrrrring...
...mph...
Brrrrrring...
...huh?...wha?...Hello?
"Sorry to wake you so early, but there's a problem over here..."
Whatizzit, Mom?
"I can hear noises in the basement, and the outside foundation is wet from the siding on down for a good ten feet..."
Be right over...

Pull on pants, grab flashlight...what the hell...the foundation's wet from up where the house sits on it...this ain't good...
Inside, open basement door, turn on light...
CRAP!!!

4 inches of water in the basement!
Run downstairs, spot leak -- it's the pipe to the hose spigot thru the west wall -- an elbow joint has come loose, and water's going everywhere!
Grab the shutoff valve, but it won't turn...enough of this, head to the north wall and grab the main shutoff...yes, all shut down!!

Ok, go discuss this with Mom.

Plumber gets called. He caps pipe, opens a floor drain, things start to gurgle away. Diagnosis is a disaster that's been waiting to happen for
fifteen or so years, an insufficient solder joint on a pipe tapped into a main to put a hose spigot on the side of the house. The guy who does
Mom's groundskeeping is beside himself, because he's the last one to use that spigot the previous evening. The fact that the piping was 15+ years
old, and according to the plumber most likely inadequately soldered way back then hasn't sunk in yet. He thinks he's responsible. Mom corrects
his thinking in that inimitable way of hers.

Mom starts burning up phone lines. Consults with little sister (who has some job-related experience in these matters), insurance agent, disaster services company.

By noon, water service to rest of house restored, basement is noticeably shallower, things are more-or-less copacetic again.

Am now at school, studying my nether regions off.

And how was the first half of your day???