This lovely day started with a mama-daughter date for coffee and croissant.  You would think that an omen like that would lead to a fabulous day.  But alas, thundershowers started in the early evening, and even though I had organized a games night, I was in the basement, solo and on my hands and knees, bailing water.
It was unapologetically flooding! The first friend to arrive on the scene, threw himself into the bailing without hesitation.  As the rain subsided, together we managed to get it into some semblance of control.  When everyone else arrived, we paused and played games.  One can only take so much.

Halfway through, while one game was being packed up, two friends *one of which I had literally just met!* came down to bail some more since during the interim more water had built up.  And finally, when the night was being laid to rest, the rains having stopped, we collected the last of the water.  Ten buckets during the course of the evening was the final tally.

I left the dehumidifier on for the next two days, dried a carpet out in the sun, and so far nothing else is the worse for wear.

But let me just say, you know who your real friends are by who is willing to get down and dirty to bail some basement water with you.