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DEAR JOAN: A short time back I was gently watering a part of our front yard with a hose sprayer. To my surprise, a hummingbird buzzed up to a branch nearby and then boldly — and quite intentionally — flew into the soft spray.

Related Articles Pets and Animals | Hummingbirds swarming San Jose feeders, but how long will it last? Pets and Animals | Rat or opossum? Saratoga woman is visited by odd-looking creature Pets and Animals | Persistent squirrel driving San Jose woman ‘nuts’ Pets and Animals | How to stop raccoons digging up your lawn Pets and Animals | 13-year-old blind California dog rescued after falling into 15-foot-deep hole I kept spraying and it stayed there, hovering in what appeared to be a joyous airborne bath. I revealed this to my wife and daughter, who determined I was crazy.

I now have three hummers I can, literally, call to a tree in the backyard with a quick burst of sprayed water into the air. They buzz in, sit on a branch and then I spray the tree. They sit on the branch and bathe away, flapping wings, perfectly happy.

On a recent evening, my daughter and a friend witnessed the event and were amazed.   I’m only squirting into the air for a very short time so the water usage is low and the water eventually lands in my garden, but I do believe the neighbors think I’m nuts.

Regardless, a fun event in the evening, their prime bath time.

DEAR KURT: Vindication is mine, says the hummingbird bath attendant.

Your wife and daughter should never have doubted you or your sanity. Hummingbirds prefer showers over baths, and anytime you can make a hummer happy should not be considered a waste of time or water.

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DEAR JOAN: To save water, we removed all of our lawn, installed drought resistant plants and rock, and a drip irrigation system in the front yard. It works great when we can keep the drip lines working.

The problem is we have become a major customer at Orchard Supply as rodents chew on the emitters and the feeder lines, which destroys the connectors causing the water to shoot in all directions. This action of course prevents water from reaching other drip areas as well as the intended planting.

Is there a recommended correction? We don’t see the rodents or we would trap, shoot or in some other way kill them. Traps or poison are not the answer as there are cats and dogs in the neighborhood.

We would like to stop spending lots of our time and dollars, and have an effective drip irrigation system. Any advice through or from your readers would be very much appreciated.

Warren and Yvonne Lampshire, San Jose

DEAR WARREN AND YVONNE: Watering our lawns, garden and landscape has pitfalls no matter what type of irrigation system is used. Drip is definitely the most effective for getting water where its needed with a minimum of waste, but there are some pesky issues.

It sounds as if perhaps you’re using an older type of drip with emitters that have to be plugged into the line. You might want to invest in drip lines that have built-in emitters, such as those sold by Netafim and Agrifim.

The emitters are contained inside the line and are placed every six to 12 inches, depending on which brand you get. This won’t stop the varmints from chewing the lines, but they’ll be less likely to.

I’d suggest going to an irrigation store and talking with people there about your best options. They are the experts on drip irrigation and should be able to offer suggestions.

If the animals are chewing your lines in order to get to water, you also can try giving them an alternate source to spare your lines.

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