Hi friends,
what's Christmas without watching the Chevy Chase National Lampoons movie?
It's my favourite part of Christmas, it's a relaxing laugh amidst the stress
and hassle of the Christmas season. I love the part where the Christmas tree
blows up, the sewer gas explodes. What can be more exiting during the festive
holidays?
This year, to follow up in Chevy's foot steps, we've had the opportunity of
playing out our very own emergency, almost disaster, scene here at home.
It happened last night at mid night, just before bed time. For some reason,
Wilf decided to step outside to check things out. His urgent call made me run
downstairs and out onto the drive way, wearing pyjamas and slippers. On my way
down the basement stairs, the stench off gasoline hit me immediately. Wilf was
running by me at top speed, carrying a fire extinguisher in each hand, opening
all the windows, yelling " Emergency, we're in trouble, gasoline is running
into the drainage". I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but a look under
the Hyundai immediately told the story. It was leaking petrol, a lot of it.
The car had been parked half way under the car port, just over the spot were
the drainage system was guiding excess water, usually dripping from the roof
of the car port and garage, into the sump area of the house. From this sump
hole, a pump always delivered the water outside to a low lying area. Now,
gasoline was draining into this drainage system. Gasoline fumes were
accumulating in our basement, family room, making its way up the stairs into
the upper areas of the house.
To make matters worse, we always have a cosy wood fire burning in the wood
stove, that's located in the basement family room. We rushed around the house,
opening all the windows and doors, letting the fumes escape. Wilf immediately
got busy, moving the car into the garage, jacking it up, checking out the
problem. Last week, he'd installed new brake and fuel lines. A clamp worth
about 25 cents, holding the fuel line together had broken, causing the leak.
Naturally, that same evening needing gasoline, Wilf had filled the tank, which
was now almost empty.
I rushed around mopping up gasoline out of the drainage hole, then tried to
soak up as much gasoline, using old towels, from the drive way as possible.
All of this in freezing Ottawa temperatures. We now have nicely polished and
clean gravel, but the stink of gasoline its still prevailing.
I'm continuously opening windows to air the house, but the emergency has
passed. Hopefully, the stink will subside soon.
Strangely, we always seem to have some sort of emergency to deal with over the
Christmas holidays. But, I know we have a guardian angel looking out for us.
Wishing you all a holiday season without excitement of this kind.
Merry Christmas
Wilf and Liv Haasper
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