1. if your house has stairs, uncovered deck, etc, start the top town. I have a wrap around deck and walk ways under them. No need to shovel the same stuff twice.

2. don’t walk over fresh snow - - shovel a path. This prevents packing of the snow and makes it easier to shovel.

3. I both shovel and have a plow guy. I have a large driveway and parking lot. I push a lot if my snow to where the plow can easily get it and push it away from the house. Which brings me to my last tip:

4. consult a weather app with an hourly Forecast. I use weather underground and schedule my shoveling according to the cumulative snowfall. I schedule my last shoveling about a half hour before the snow stops.

Lots of white folk

I very well might steal that idea. Do you plan to remove the kick board if the basement floods to let the studs dry out? That’s a lot easier than replacing an entire floor.

I’m considering laminate flooring that can withstand getting wet. My only concern after that would be drywall saturation if another flood hits.

A French drain is basically a massive trench dug around a building. A drainage pipe is laid at the bottom of the trench and the exhaust is far from the home. The trench is filled with rough gravel.

My best guess is the drain pipe is blocked or frozen. As big as the trench is, it can only hold so much and the water spilt over the edge.

Thanks for the encouraging words. All things being equal, I’m a lucky Dad.

Temporarily trashed. I managed to save everything (except my back).

We are currently watching How The Grinch Stole Christmas in my bedroom. My elder (9 years) touched his forehead to mine and whispered “you can sleep now, Dad.”

I am so exhausted that your simple and kind message made me cry. Merry Christmas