Mamma Mia

I can't remember enduring such a string of violent winter storms.  Yesterday morning in the shower, the sudden noise from hail and wind was so loud I jumped out in a panic.  I thought the municipal sewer was pouring into the house!

Well, when your yard is full of craters and exposed sewer connections, it tends to make a person edgy.

All we can do is trust these competent young men. They seem unfazed by the weather or the job, despite some rather harrowing archaeological discoveries under there.  Not First People bones, fortunately. I mean sorting through a maze of old drains, lines, layers of pipes and jerry-rigged repairs.

Yesterday, they told us our kitchen sink, dishwasher and washing machine water has been running right into the ground for a "long time." The clay pipe was broken.  Thank goodness for that sandy soil.

It hardly seems possible, but the second line was in even worse condition than the main line.  I'll spare you a picture of the giant fourth hole outside the kitchen window. Suffice to say, this sunny little cartoon does not represent trench-less sewer replacement on a miserably wet week in Seattle.

What happens next with the giant, chaotic mess out there? Apparently they're almost ready for the City of Seattle inspection today.

When the guys left yesterday afternoon, they knocked on the door to say our yard was currently the most dangerous they had ever seen.  Another dubious distinction! Because of the collapsing sides disguised with hanging sod, just approaching the pits could cause a person to tumble down.

I said I hoped to catch a burglar for the police and become famous on the West Seattle Blog.  They were more worried about inquisitive neighbors (we have plenty of those) but the weather is on our side, and every sane person is huddled indoors.

If things go as planned, tomorrow the dirt gets shoveled back (by hand) into the holes.  We go on with our lives, and never have to think about the sewer again.  Which would be an amazing accomplishment for just two men in five days.