Ouch.

Our water bill arrived today, and it was TRIPLE what is usually is. Ouch! And this was for the month of August...the month, you may recall, when we were not even here.

We're pretty sure our housesitters weren't selling water on the black market, and judging from the state of our plants, they weren't doing any outdoor watering, either. So the likely culprit is our downstairs toilet, which occasionally runs -- that must have happened without them noticing. (We *think* it's fixed now. Keep your fingers crossed for us.)

In other exciting water adventures, our chimney was leaking during our last big rain storm (Labor Day, of course). Mike says, "The cover probably just came off -- I'll climb up and look." On a ladder. At midnight, pitch black outside. In a pouring rainstorm. And did I mention the lightning? And he didn't understand why I thought this was a terrible idea. :)