Spring has sprung

We got up this morning after 3.5 inches of rain overnight and had to unclog our backyard drainage system. Norris wore tall boots and unclogged the storm drain while Cheryl broke the logjam that had formed around the stepping stone bridge.  The overflow design our landscaper engineered did the job and we have only some erosion under the deck to repair, with no water threat to the basement windows. A couple of hours later when the sun was out, we took a few photos - this is the swale that runs down the mountain right outside our kitchen.

This evening the flow is much smaller, but we are expecting more rain tonight.

While Cheryl was out of town last weekend, Norris finally filled the hummingbird feeder which had gone dry even though no hummers had been spotted.  Eventually he saw at least one male, and today we have seen possibly three coming and going.

After being in Chicago, I can't help but notice our spring is much father along.  This picture was taken in an attempt to capture the hummingbird sitting on the wire of the deck railing, but it's nice just to show how beautiful the new green leaves are in the fading evening light.