March, 2014, came in like a lion and left with all the grace of a water buffalo. The rain system that dumped four inches into the Concord River is still increasing the water level today. According to my neighbor, the river will continue to rise for three days after the rain stops. “Three days up, three days down!” Well, it’s day three and I’m hoping her Farmer’s Almanac formula is exact. If not, tomorrow my yard will be completely submerged, along with my basement.

My sump pump is working like a champ, pumping out a gallon of water every 15 seconds. Of course, the water is being pumped onto my front lawn, which is probably adding to the water table and seeping right back into my basement to be pumped out again. Ahhh, another circle of life.

I love my sump pump!

The ducks are loving the flooded yard. They’re swimming around, contentedly dabbling in the water, probably wondering why I didn’t flood the yard sooner.

“This is great! Why didn’t she do this last summer?”

All in all, it could have been worse.

The ruby-throated hummingbirds are less than a month away. Once they pass into Virginia, the migration picks-up speed. In 2013 the first hummingbirds arrived in Massachusetts around mid-April.

Updated map, April 1, 2014.

Even though the river postponed my plans for raking and expanding the hummingbird garden, I’ll get the nectar feeders up. I am soooo looking forward to that first flash of green.

Soggy hummingbird garden.

I have big plans for expanding many of my gardens, along with all sorts of landscaping wonders. The software I purchased proved to be more of a pain than a help, so I turned to the old fashioned way of planning projects – pencil and paper.

All I need to fulfill my landscaping dreams is a large tub of money. Perhaps one will float into my yard.

Blessed be :]