Ugh, water! Ever since NJ, where we moved into our first house in a new development and had an entire block’s worth of water come rushing across our backyard and down the side to the street, we seem to have been plagued by water running across the yard where it’s not supposed to be. Countless times there, and then here in this house, I have had to put on some ridiculous pair of the most waterproof boots I can find, usually the wrong size and maybe even designed for snow, grab a shovel and started redirecting water back to the swale to flow where it belongs. So last week, I finally bought myself a cute pair of Slogger rain boots. This way, at least if I am out there “slogging” around in the water, I can look good and be more comfortable.

Well, it happened again yesterday, so I’m glad I got the taller boots, instead of the equally cute garden shoes (which I might still order anyway because they are so cute and comfortable) .

This is what I woke up to after a night of rain…

Now, the water is supposed to flow to this corner, but it is supposed to then flow out and down the block between the properties to the storm sewer. But of course, something has gone wrong again.

You’ll have to excuse the mess behind the shed. This area is really part no man’s land, part utility easement. But, that’s where the flow was clogged and the water, instead of heading down the fence line and out, was coming back into the yard, trying to turn our shed into an ark. So, out come my new cute Slogger rain boots, my raincoat and the shovel, and off to work I go. There was all kinds of debris (leaves, sticks, mulch, and even those annoying plastic bags) clogging the flow, and once I got that cleared and redirected some of the water using those giant flagstones tossed back there for storage, we were good to go.

In this photo, I look like I am wading in a pretty river somewhere. But, instead, it means the water in my backyard is moving once again and I have solved the problem for now!