Riddle: What does a sump pump have to do with drywall? Everything!

The drywall in the basement is coming along slowly, with H. and helpers Erik, Neil, Elliot and Robert - despite the flood resulting from someone unplugging the sump pump, which left the entire basement in water, just barely below the 2x4's holding the drywall off the actual concrete floor...  Picture me in the dark (only one light in the basement at the moment) trying to find and plug in extension cords and portable lights (broken) to see the extent of the problem, without electrocuting myself; borrowing a wet-vac and dehumidifiers; Erik and family helping to mop, vac, and haul out the wet boxes of books, stored where I thought they'd be safe...  The recently hung drywall and boxes of books, soaking water up from the floor. Huge packages of new insulation, opened just enough to act like sponges, bags of old insulation sopping all over the floor...  I was not a happy camper.  Enter Hugh, "What's the big deal, Mom?  Just finish wet-vac'ing it, and let the dehumidifiers dry it all out."  No problem, now that I've found and safely installed light and recruited help... But the neighbours came back for dinner and a good time was had by all.  And, the drywall is fine.  Phew!  H. is planning to teach us to tape the seams, then we'll get a mudder in and move on to paint. I can't wait to have the drywall done, the painting finished and lights on at the flick of a switch.  Imagine!

Back garden - before and after

Andrew spent the summer nesting in the garden - planting 14 trees and over 80 small, flowering shrubs, to bloom next spring in mounds of carefully selected colours.  Cedar mulch sets off the garden beds, and soaker hoses keep the new shrubs alive when rain fails. With the "new" deck and pots of blossoms, we transformed the back yard into outdoor living space, where we hosted barbecues at every opportunity throughout the summer.  Seventy volunteers for the CORK regatta came one night, bringing their own mussels to steam and lots of yummy side dishes to complement our chicken on the grill.  H. grilled, mussels steamed, and there wasn't much left over!  With some rainy weather, everyone just grabbed their foul weather gear, huddled under patio umbrellas and an awning and let the potluck roll.   So far, so good!