Open up the window and let the sun shine in.

Lovely day.

Mark and I attended a class on building a rain garden. We have the perfect spot for this, considering we get storm run off from our yard and all our neighbors yard plopped about 20 feet from our house. We bought a rain barrel today and have plans to buy the native plants soon. The class was very well organized (and free!) and we also both received a $10 gift certificate to use at the store, Prairie & Wetlands Center in Belton. This is obviously a well funded initiative:

http://www.rainkc.com/HOME/INDEX.ASP

We could have found a much cheaper alternative to getting a rain barrel - Mark had planned on taking a rain barrel making class (for about $35). There would have been more economical routes... but at the same time, our rain barrel is now completed and hooked up to our downspout as I type this. And we know it will work, and it won't leak or have issues.

We also bought a compost tumbler from our neighbor! Woo-hoo! I've been eyeing this tumbler in his backyard since last summer. He is moving and was ready to give it up so I finagled (sp?) and bartered and it is now ours. And I've already got golden food scraps in there.

I hope the weather is nice next week so we can play with our new toys. : )