Rain, Rain... Go Away!

My Yard's About To Float Away!

Hurricane Dolly's big flouncy skirts have kicked up a bunch of storm clouds over Houston today. It's rained on & off for close to 24 hours now, and the drainage ditches out front are starting to overflow out into the street and creep farther up the yard.

Normally, this wouldn't be cause for alarm, but for the past four days I've had a rapidly bubbling spring erupt in the middle of the yard due to a local water pipe cracking. There's two fountains about 4 inches high spewing up out of the ground. This constant flow of water has already filled the drainage ditches partway down the block, and the rain's making it even deeper.

The Man has already dispatched his water gnomes to work on the problem, but all they have done so far is to festoon the neighborhood with a bunch of neon-pink ribbons tied to stakes and wires in some arcane fashion. Apparently the summer's dryness has caused a lot of the clay soil to settle around town, and these water line breaks are happening everywhere.

I've still got water pressure in the house, but it makes for a lengthy shower since you barely get enough water to make it worth your while. It's like having two or three of those water-saving diverters attached to your showerhead.

The yard's gonna have a huge pit where the soil surrounding the break has washed away. Right now there's a thin layer of sod being held in place by the upwelling water pressure. This doesn't even take into account what abuses will be foisted on the turf by the water gnomes repair work...

I'm kinda sorry I got rid of my big three-man inflatable raft. I bet I could sail the ditches all the way down the street, and only have to ford one or two driveways along the way!