This is a new problem for me. I’ve never experienced this before, except for when I lived in Virginia and we had issues with moles and groundhogs. Those critters burrow underground and make tunnels. Although I know we have a hedgehog in our yard, I have never known them to make tunnels. Besides, what I encountered this morning wasn’t a tunnel. It was/is a hole.
I went back there a little while ago to pick up the dog crap, which is something I do every day. As I was walking away from where Noyzi left his morning deposit, I felt the ground suddenly give way. I looked down, and there was a small hole that appeared to be surprisingly deep. I don’t know anything about sinkholes, but I looked them up online and it appears that they are common in areas where there’s a lot of limestone in the ground. This area is very mineral dense, hence the spa culture in Wiesbaden. I can see the lime buildup on the taps, and have to combat it with citric acid soaks. We also got heavy rain this morning, after a hot, dry summer. From what I’ve read, sinkholes can develop after weather events.
I just took a few photos, which may prove useful in the future, especially if the sinkhole gets any bigger…
I’m tempted to fill it in with dirt, but that’s probably not the right thing to do. We’ll just tell the landlord and let him make a decision. It does appear the hole is near the cistern, where our landlord gets water for his toilet. That might have something to do with this random natural event.
Today has started off kind of weird, anyway. Arran woke us at 3:40am again, and while he was downstairs eating his breakfast, there was a huge boom and a shockwave. I don’t know what it was, but it freaked out the dogs and was noticeably loud. About ten or fifteen minutes later, we heard the blaring of emergency vehicles. I don’t know if they were the police or medical people, but they seemed to take some time. I never did get back to sleep, either.
Edited to add– here’s the source of the noise at 3:40am.
Sigh… I guess I’ll practice guitar and walk the dogs, then try to take a nap or something. I’ll probably need one. Or maybe I’ll dive into my latest book, which has managed to hook me after a somewhat disappointing start.
I really hope the sinkhole isn’t a sign of trouble… knock on wood.