After some investigative work this afternoon, the source of the stream flowing into my sump pit has been solved.  It's been a few days since I was able to see my entire yard in the daylight.  I was moving the deer food dish to another spot in the yard and noticed 'ice banks' at the very back.  I followed the flow of water that was creating them.  It led me to the vacant mobile home next door.

Water was dripping from the top of the foundation.  It had filled the window wells and had totally saturated the ground.  We could hear water running inside.  So what happened you

Water flow from the basement.

ask?  When the lady next door moved out, she had the gas and power shut down but not the water and there was a burst pipe or toilet inside the home.  Nobody was checking on the property so the water was running for days.  The basement was filled to the ceiling with water.  She could have used her basement as an aquarium.  So much water was lost that according to the calculations based on my water bill, her bill should be around $3700 or more.  She's getting a big bill and I have a big mess on my side of the fence.  Her water was making its way into my yard and trickling into the sump pit.  

I have a big mess but believe that mine will be easier to deal with than hers.  Once she found out what happened, she had someone come with a pump and discharge hose to empty the basement.  That was a lesson learned the hard way.

On a more positive note, my favorite pileated woodpecker showed up this afternoon.  He visited the feeding station that has the peanut bell.  That is one of his favorite treats.  The other favorite is the homemade mix that I made with crunchy peanut butter, cornmeal, oatmeal and some dried fruit.  He was not sharing that with any other bird.

The deer came into the yard as I was trying to deal with some of the ice build up.  They are getting used to me being outside; so much so that they don't run until I get to within 25 feet of them.  What an experience it is to try and get as close as possible!