Spring is in the air and water is in the...

At last, a brief respite from -25C temperatures; we were soon seeing grass peeping out from under the snow and wouldn't you know spring was in the air...

As I sat in the living room, reviewing my weekly addiction and struggle (aren't all addictions a struggle?) with the Saturday crossword, I said to myself - I hear water dripping. Not one to be easily distracted from mental anguish, I continued on with my perusal of unmatched clues. A few minutes later I said to myself again - I hear water dripping - and eventually it dawned on me. I heard water dripping and it was coming from inside the house. I slowly looked to my left and there to the side of the bay window were two, nothing short of humongous, paint bubbles on the wall, full of water. Next I looked to the top of the window and saw water slowly streaming down the glass pane. I had that feeling one might have in a submarine 300' feet below the surface, noticing beads of sweat on the window; except they aren't sweat at all but rather a small and growing leak that will soon seal your fate. At that moment, the only thing that didn't appear sealed was the window beside me.

With only the slightest bit of disbelief, because in this house nothing is that shocking any more, I quickly made my way to the back of house to summon my husband and son. All I could say was, "Come see this", fearful that I would burst out laughing at any moment.

Once we were gathered around the window and oohed and awed over the size of the bubbles, my husband went into action. Soon we had a bucket, paper towels, a razor blade and before I knew it the 'operation' was underway. With surgeon-like precision he lanced open each bubble like the abscesses they definitely were and drained them of their spoils.

Then on to the real source of the problem, the leaking pane. After a quick look-see outside with the flashlight, he realized the issue was simple. Ice had built up in the eaves trough to the point that when it rained, water ran under the shingles and came in through the ceiling, directly over the window. Now it was his turn for disbelief. From the water stains first noticed on moving day, we knew there must have been an issue here for some time. What was so ridiculous about the whole affair is that it was such an easy fix; he'll be placing heating coils over the roof before next winter.

The next morning, he was out pouring salt on the ice, the water receded and another chore had been added to this summer's 'must-do' list.