Oh Noah......Another ark please!

I have two collie crosses and two shelties who need to come aboard!

It is raining. Understatement of the year. Up island from me, a state of emergency has been declared due to flooding. Closer to home, the only road between Crofton and Chemainus was also closed due to flooding. There are lakes where no lakes existed, rivers threatening to flood their banks, and approximately 2.2 tonnes of mud in my mudroom (courtesy of four sulky, soggy doggies).

I had a covered deck built last week so I can get the dogs in and out the back door without getting soaked to the skin. I used the same man who had done most of my bathroom renos - except he was a subcontractor on that job and this time I hired him directly. Big Mistake. He obviously needs a general contractor to do his listening and thinking for him. The ramp (for Princess Belle and Oliver who cannot do stairs) was supposed to be under cover. It is not. So now there is a lake at the bottom of the ramp. The ramp is also 10" narrower than I specified - too narrow, so wobbly arthritic Princesses are falling off it. The downspout, which should have been sunk into a pit of pea gravel, empties right onto the lawn and has formed another lake between the back door and the gate from the carport. In other words, we have to swim to the house or bring muddy dogs right into the living/dining room via the patio or front doors. And the ground-level deck is 6" higher than I was told, making it dangerous for little bouncy dogs named Oliver, who have little sense of depth.

So, I fired the guy (still haven't paid him either - but then he hasn't provided me with a bill for the work he did do), bought some deck railing that cost almost as much as the deck and cover together, bought some more boards, and now yours truly is building steps and ramps and fighting with bad instructions for installling railing. Not my favourite pasttime - especially in the rain.

And so we are cranky. We are all cranky. Wet dogs. Frustrated mama. Only the cat is her usual pesky, funny self.

I shouldn't complain. Hearts on Noses potbellied pig sanctuary is moving in this weather - trying to set posts for new pens in holes that fill up with water before cement can be poured, trying to pack and clean and feed and arrange trailers and flatdecks,, dealing with no-show tradespeople, etc. Check out their blog. They still need help, if any gum-booted volunteers can lend a hand/trailer/flatdeck/strong back any time between now and the end of the month. I'm heading over this weekend to lend a hand - I'd love to see you there!