I am negotiating my way back to the bedroom in the dark after starting the water to boil on the stove, when the wife speaks up from bed, muttering something to the effect of "If you haven't done it yet, you'd better put the clothes in the drier."

Okay, so she knows I haven't done it yet, 'cause I would have woken her in the process. And I would like dry underwear to wear on check station today, so down I go to move the laundry.

After transferring the whites, I notice something odd.

The laundry sink. It's full of water. Greyish-blue water, within a centimeter of the brim.

It's plugged.

Oh joy.

There are still four or five fans running down here in the basement, trying to blow dry the rugs and boxes and bags on the floor that got a brief soaking from Monday's laundry accident.

Which wasn't a plugged sink. It was the full load of laundry water, because the washing machine decided to take a walk away from the sink. Dispensing it's full load of soapy water on the floor.

Of course the floor drain was plugged.

And it's not on the lowest point of the floor, anyway. That's in the corner under the camping supplies, right in front of the office door (and under the office carpet, which is where I discovered the errant water).

Why did the washer take a walk? Well, the load was way out of balance, since it was only our bedspread in there. The one that had an edge soaked in coffee/cocoa mix.

Which was a good thing.

If it hadn't caught all that hot liquid, it would have continued to splatter from the wife's crashing mug all over everything under the bed. As it was, all I had to clean (since she was already late for work) was the rug and the floor (yes, she had a horrible Monday last Monday).

So, anyway, we have another water problem. But it's not on the floor, yet.

Upstairs I go, turning on lights this time, because I'm pretty sure I'm gonna want to see what I'm doing here. Grab the plunger by the toilet, and just for good measure, the little one under the sink, too, because I'm not sure the big one will fit in the corner where the laundry drain is.

Might as well go into the bedroom and get glasses, too. Might be handy to see. And let the wife share in my morning pleasures. Which generated a moan of sympathy, but no offer of assistance.

Plunge the laundry sink, or actually the right basin of the laundry sink. Left basin's dry.

And all that happens is the water begins rushing from the right tub up the drain into the left.

That ain't gonna help.

Fortunately, I had the foresight (?) to bring two plungers. Plug the left drain with one, and plunge the right. And stare at a little spot on the right edge to see if the water level goes down.

It does. Quickly.

No muss, no fuss.

One minor household repair accomplished. Another major aquatic disaster avoided.

Now, if the drier would just give me some warm underwear, I could go out to start my day.

Only now, there's someone at the door...