I BLAME THE AFRICAN VIOLETS

Well, my peeps, we started off the Second Day of Christmas (aka Boxing Day) with a wee flood. I was in process of soaking my seven African violet plants in the sink in the utility room, the very same plants I pled for a kindhearted plant-lover to adopt the other day on Facebook, with no takers. I closed the drain, turned on the tap, put two plants in to soak, went to get another, got distracted, and left the water running with the drain closed. When Grandpère came in from outside, the utility room and the nearby bathroom were flooded with water mixed with dirt from the flower pots. No permanent damage was done, but the clean-up was not fun.

The cabinets below the sink and counter and their contents were wet and dirty. Grandpère had to move the washer and dryer out, because water and dirt had seeped under the appliances. Some wise person said it's an ill wind that blows no good, and, in our case, the saying proved true, because, as Grandpère was mopping behind the washer, he saw that the pipe that drains the water was corroded and had a small leak, which, had he not discovered it, would very soon have become a large leak with the possibility of another flood in the utility room. We also threw away a load of wet junk that had accumulated in the cabinets, another good result.

The leaves, flowers, and stems of the two plants that were in the sink were covered with dirt, so I pitched them, and then there were five. Maybe five plants will be more manageable.