First let me say, my heart goes out to those in Japan.  I tend to immerse myself in the news during big news events like this.  Watching the footage and stills of a devastated land make ones heart break. 

But it also makes me appreciate the simple things in life all the more, and I regret less the time I spend simply watching out the window at what nature is providing outside.   Taking trips outside to see how things are budding, the crocus that are appearing, ever so slowly.  The daffodils getting ready to open (though they seem shorter this year!)  Watching all the animals as they prepare for Spring, pairing up, making nests.  Hard to imagine being without natures beauty and being forced into survival mode, being without the very basics of survival without knowing when you will have a place, a bed of your own, your own garden.  Forces you to think of all the possibilities in your own life. Here it's floods, airports, TMI.  Of course there's been a lot of TMI references the past few days.

Anyhow, speaking of floods, we had a small flood here over the past week.  What was bad was all the dire predictions, with levels that would have been slightly higher then Ivan.  So I had moved a lot of stuff from the yard, took my 3 house bunnies to stay with my mom, etc.  For days the news was full of 'flood talk'.  It turned out to be a non-event.  Don't get me wrong - that is a good thing. But in time, if they continue to get it wrong, people will stop listening. Makes me think of the boy who cried wolf.  When the big one hits, many won't be prepared.  I'll probably be one of them :D 

I was concerned about Bob with all the rain we got. It appears that Bob is getting smarter with each instance of torrential rain. First he stays underground until conditions improve.  Talk about being prepared!  Those few days of quickly collecting all the food he can, pays off!  I knew I was going to see him again when I saw a new opening, finally, UNDER a plant.  Good job Bob! Now he seems to have a few holes open.  When I first saw him reappear, he was popping out from under the base of the feeder station. 

You can see the opening to his left.  Pretty smart, puts him right at a food source!

Here's the burrow I mentioned the last time, that has been revampedmore rock and dirt removed.  I assume by a groundhog, since that's what created it in the first place.  But as the waters were rising the other day, I saw the muskrat enter it, taking a brief break from the rain and fast moving water. He didn't stay long, so I'm wondering if there was a groundhog in there and he thought it best not to stay.

This blue heron has been visiting more frequently, despite the heavy rains. Perhaps because of them?

Notice he pulled his head in once he realized I was watching him.  He took off shortly afterwards.

My small stream looking more like a river.

A very flooded duck path.

Today seems to be one of those days when I have the attention span of a gnat.  Tomorrow it's to rain again, and hopefully I'll be more focused and I can share some of the great things going on outside, with the ducks and other birds in particular, as their focus has changed from winter survival, to mating!