stickers & water in the basement

What do those stickers mean? It's bad enough they don't come off easily, taking a bit of the skin with them once you do pry them off, or leaving a residue of glue behind. Now, here might be a way to make them useful: how to decode those stickers. Jane Perrone found out how thanks to Marion Owen at Acorns . Marion writes from Kodiak Island, Alaska and her site is full of interesting stuff. Don't you love it, the click that takes you around the world?

Our day was foggy and rainy. As the snow melts, it's running into our basement. This old house needs a bit of work. There are several large cracks in the foundation which leak. The grade on the side where the driveway is, has been elevated by multiple additions of gravel which allows runoff melting snow/rain to run into the basement via the stairwell that leads directly from the outside into the basement. The exterior door to the basement was replaced this fall, door-frame and all, but I should think all that water in the stairwell won't be doing that door any good! Then, did I already mention the eavestroughs? Oh well, 'nuff said.

Yesterday, after all the mild weather we have had and the water running everywhere as I already mentioned, I had my concerns. Ann had thought we were going to be ok this year, because she had just been in the basement and things were looking pretty dry. But this morning, I just had to go and get another jar of dried lemon verbena for tea, didn't I? When I opened the door to the basement and flicked on the light, I was horrified to see small rivers of water all over the floor. Maybe it's a trick of the mind, but after that discovery, the house suddenly felt a whole lot less warm and cosy.

There is a down side to being a renter. But the rent is extremely cheap, and I can't afford to live anywhere else, and I do love the quiet and relatively peaceful setting, and I like the landlords...There is an upside to being a renter: fixing the house is not my problem, right? ;)