Start to the week began normally enough with a usual morning swim at the fitness center.

Home to take a shower, only to have my suspicions confirmed: Water in the basement is definitely from the water heater, not from the rains that have drenched Wisconsin for the past week. Confirmed because there was No Hot Water for said shower. Brrrr! So (and this is one of the many charms around here) it was off to the little storefront office of the folks who repair furnaces, air conditioners, and -- yes! -- hot water tanks. (It opens at 7 a.m., praise be!) In the middle of the morning, then, I'm out of the office (where we're in the midst of wrapping up CBG #1635) and hanging around my house, wringing my hands as kindly workmen empty one tank somehow, disconnect it, and lug it upstairs -- and then install the new tank.

What does this have to do with collecting? Well, the symptoms showed up as dampness on the basement floor, and I noticed that soon enough to haul most vulnerable stuff off the floor. (Yes, there are collectibles in my basement; there's Stuff all over the house, most of said Stuff being worthless.) But my warning continues to those with basements (and first floors under second-floor plumbing): Plastic bags are Good Things.

I trust the remainder of the day will go more routinely.