Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

One year ago today, the Tiny Bungalow had a little bit of a setback.  Over nine inches of rain fell in our neighborhood over a 2-day period and it left our basement a little less than hospitable.  This morning, we woke up to an odd grinding noise from our air conditioning.  I walked down stairs and, thinking about the storms we were having, started to have a sinking feeling.  When I got to the bottom of the basement stairs, my fears were realized.  We were flooded.  Again. Precisely one year after being flooded the first time.  This time, a seven inch rainfall in a single day, a record for Chicagoland, was the culprit.  We were lucky though.  Due to our major re-design and some vigilance about keeping things off the ground downstairs, we actually fared pretty well.  The Flor is soaked and we lost a handful of toys and our hot water heater is out but otherwise, we only have a mess to clean.  This is a major improvement over last year.     

I didn't take any pictures this year.  The water came to the same height.  There was less debris and we have a long road of cleaning ahead but I figured that I'd rather not dwell on any of that.  Instead, I am looking on the bright side of it all.  Instead of flood pics, I figured I'd showcase the fact that the storm did NOT destroy the sunflowers that have started blooming.  They are beauties too!  I think I will be investing in the red sunflower seeds every year now. 

We also have a very interesting volunteer this year. I had nothing to do with planting it but a very showy spider flower is about to bloom. I have to figure out how to propagate this sucker. If it got here on its own, it can't be that hard, right?



Stay tuned for the next project at the Tiny Bungalow:  How to Install a Sump.