Holidays, H2O, and Home 0

I mentioned earlier that holidays seem to bring on plumbing problems at my house.

This phenomenon seems to have spread down the street.

Yesterday, as I headed out to Church, I saw water pouring from a neighbor’s yard. Actually, from under the yard. Apparently, the water line from the street to his house had burst and the water was escaping with such force that it actually lifted the topsoil, flowed under the topsoil (now, this was not turf–the street is 51 years old this year) to the sidewalk, then under the grass on the sidewalk to the gutter and thence down to the storm drain at the bottom of the hill.

Another neighbor, out for a walk, called the water company.

I got back from church and started on dinner–stuffed the goose and ran it in the oven, set the table, and so on. About noon the water company showed up–takes a while to tear workers away from their families on Christmas Day. Then more water company workers showed up. By the time everyone was there, there were two dump trucks, two pick-up trucks, and a front-end loader. A whole crew of workers gave up their holiday to work.

So, they’re working away and it’s just about time for the kids to show up (First Son, Older Daughter, and their SOSO’s).

And the water stopped. Whatever the water company was doing, it had reached to point that required their shutting off water to the street.

And it stayed off.

For five hours.

Now the primary reason I roasted a goose was so I could make goose gravy.

Goose gravy with giblets is to die for.

I had made oyster stuffing and potatoes purree (that’s masked potatoes with a college education), simply so I could smother them in goose gravy.

It’s pretty difficult to make gravy without water.

Fortunately, one of the local convenience stores was open and I dispatched Second Son and First Daughter-in-Law to buy water, so I was able to finish cooking and a good time was had by all.

But oh my poor kitchen. I usually wash the big stuff as I go along, but, again, no water.

Every piece of Revere Ware, several giant mixing bowls, one cast iron skillet, and all six table settings, used, dirty, and no place to go, slowly drying out. (It’s all washed now.)

So I have to wonder, with New Year’s Day only six days away now, what the heck is going to flood then?