On preparing for storms

with a tank filled with glee

There’s a storm on the way, dear reader. A ‘nor easter’ is heading up the coast and about to dump about a foot of glee on out little corner of the world here in Nova Scotia.

Today is a day to prepare.

I’m moving wood and bringing wood in so we have plenty for the stove. If the power goes out, we’ll stay plenty warm.

We have some prepared food in the fridge that can be easily heated on a camp stove. If the power is out for any length of time we can survive on beef stew, chilli and Cheerios.

But I’m spending most of the day protecting my basement.

This is the most remarkable precaution that I’m taking.

Just eight short years ago our basement flooded. The ground became saturated and hydrostatic pressure forced water between the bottom of the foundation and the footings of our house.

It was a demoralizing mess.

Since then, we’ve added waterproofing and a sump pump.

But our sump pump only works if the power is on.

Given this, I don’t entirely trust it.

I still feel a bit at the mercy of nature.

But …