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Now that all three of us are healthy again, my house has a problem. Our basement, so dry for so many years, has sprung a leak.

At first, the leak was so small we weren't sure that we weren't imagining it. A book here and there would be damaged by moisture, but we never saw a puddle, or significant seepage.

Earlier this week, I picked up the throw rug that sits at the foot of the basement stairs to realign it with the no-skid mat beneath, and discovered that the mat was wet and so was the polypropylene rug, at least on the underside, though there wasn't really more than dampness underneath.

On Saturday afternoon, after two days of mostly rainy weather, esrblog and I went into the basement, and to our horror found a shallow but broad puddle at the foot of the basement steps. We mopped up the water, and moved any damageable items out of harm's way.

The source? Well, remember the burrow at the front of the house where Fireball allegedly had her kittens? It's at exactly the right location to be the source of the trouble.

We considered packing the hole with clay or soil, but I was concerned that if we didn't fill it properly, or if that wasn't the real cause, we might just create a situation where the wetness will increase and rot out the bottom of the basement wall. Or worse.

So we are going to seek professional advice on Monday.

In the meantime, as I sit and type here, I've been hearing ...squeaking noises...coming from the same location. Do I have a rodentine visitor? Is *that* why my house is leaking?

Pounding on my window shuts the noise up for awhile, as does barging outside--which tends to confirm the vermin hypothesis.

So now I'm left wondering exactly what is happening to my house... and what it will cost to fix it.