A Knock at the Door

Submitted by:  CDK


There was a bona fide blizzard. Not only were the temps low, the power was waffling and our basement was flooding. We had never needed the old sump pump before. it came with the mortgage. Only now did we discover that we didn't have all the parts and the outflow pipe wasn't flowing. How incredibly fortunate are we to have a neighbor who would make an unsolicited visit to give us some guidance. 

Paul knows a lot about our house and yard. His parents and uncles and aunts preceded him here, building many of the homes in our neighborhood. Most did beautiful work in the trades. Paul knocked on the door not only with his neighborly advice, a couple of sump pumps, but also with his professional expertise, giving us advice as to how best to get through the night. 

The grounds were so swollen that the basement kept taking on water for a week. He continued checking up on us. 

A couple of weeks after the initial occurrence we had more storm waters, more floods. My husband had successfully jury-rigged some shop vac and other hoses and pieces of PVC pipes to direct the sump pump's water to the backyard. Temporary success.

Then today there was another knock on the door again. It was Paul. He let us know that he found where the outflow pipe reached the small seasonal stream in the back yard. What he didn't offer was that he also cleaned out some leaves, sticks and dirt so that our sump pump will work with ease. 

I may have to remove this post because Paul probably doesn't want public praise. Yet, I can think of no better way to start this blog and highlighting his goodness, kindness and love. 

He surely makes a difference in our lives and in the world. 

This is a sample post. 
The events are true but my neighbor wouldn't want attention.

A quick retrieval of a fiddlehead photo serves as a placeholder. 
It also serves a reminder that spring is around the corner. 
Finding these fiddleheads nearby was one of the pandemic era's silver linings. We've lived here almost a quarter century and hadn't observed the fiddleheads so close. I'm even more excited for spring.